After the Ball is Over
by LaLaGirl33
Summary: What happens after State? Here's my take! I just love this show and this is my way of continuing to enjoy it. Spoliers: none, if you've seen Season 1, you're good. Warning: swearing, making out nothing you wouldn't see on TV. Not mine, not mine, not mine
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 1**

Tim closed his eyes and briefly wished that he was in bed, already asleep, instead of being stuck in the middle of a damn party in his own house, which is where he was. It was Friday Night, and tonight the lights had included a ceremony, where each of the players was honored at the gym, followed by a sponsored dinner open to the players, coaches and their families and anyone else who wanted to join. It was an old fashioned Texas barbecue, and Buddy and the Boosters club had planned a party that spared no expense on the food or the beer (the Garrity tent was out back and didn't check for ID). He'd hung out there until they'd run out of beer, and had come home to find this.

Billy had decided to throw an after-party. Hell, his old buddies were celebrating their state win all over again too. Everywhere, people were partying, drinking, talking, and dancing. Where had all these people come from anyway? It was slightly disorienting. There was a keg in the kitchen. He didn't know where that had come from either. It was weird, but in a cool way. Tim enjoyed the thought of the party of the year just showing up at his house. All these people, they were people he'd known his whole life. He looked down. Casey Summer had been trying to keep his attention for the last few minutes. He wished he wasn't so tired. He was on such a high but at the same time he was dead tired and it was time for him to crash.

Where was Billy? Tim hadn't seen him in a while. He thought he'd seen him earlier playing pool. He looked over, but Billy was not there. He sighed. He was over all this for right now. He'd had some beers. He'd hung out all week with the players, his friends. He'd gorged earlier that night on ribs, beans, and corn with Billy. Then he'd met up with Smash, Matt and Streets in the beer tent. And now he was having a beer with…..well….everyone.

He looked down again at the ring on his finger. It was beautiful. He smiled. Panthers had won state! He smiled. A dream realized. And it was just beginning! The euphoria and elation was still going strong through the week. Tomorrow there was more…he didn't remember exactly what was going on but he knew he had to be at the gym in polo and dress pants at 11:00. Another reason to get to bed, he reminded himself.

His gaze traveled over the crowd that had literally taken over his living room. There were so many people. Height gave him a slight advantage here. He was looking for Billy. Tim wanted to remind Billy to unlock the master bathroom so he could use it in the morning. He spotted him just outside of the kitchen, pouring beers from a pitcher and talking to this girl Tim had seen him with a few times before. He looked down at Casey Summers.

"Hey, I'll catch ya later. Good to see ya." He said to her as he moved towards Billy.

He was about halfway when he was blocked by a sassy red leather cowboy boot and a long and slim denim clad leg. Hell, when had she gotten here? He grinned slowly as his eyes traveled up her leg, over the curves, up to her lips to meet her sexy green eyes. Damn, did she look good! Wait, no, damn it, she looked pretty pissed off.

One look at her told him he was not going to want to deal with whatever was bothering her right now. He took a bracing swig of beer to prepare himself. Her eyes said it all. She was obviously upset. He could tell by the rigid way she held herself. For a moment, though he just allowed himself to enjoy looking at her. He'd lost count of how many he'd had. Enough, enough that made him think that it might be a good idea to pull her into his arms right then and hug her and swing her around because they'd won state! He'd won state! And here was Tyra, his girl! Well, OK she was not really his girl right now, but she was still his girl. She'd always be his girl. He rubbed his ring. God he was so elated again by the feeling of accomplishment. And he just wanted Tyra to be a part of it. He was imagining spinning her above his head when he reminded himself that she didn't look like she was in the mood to celebrate just then. Instead he took another drink.

"Tim, I need a favor." Not even a hello? He followed her into an unoccupied corner so they could talk without shouting.

He half grinned, remembering the last time she'd asked him for a favor. "Do I get to have any thank you sex or makeup sex out of this deal?" He asked her with a straight face.

She rolled her eyes in his direction and retorted, "What do you think that little reunion was for earlier? Seriously, Tim." He couldn't stop the grin that now stretched across his face.

"Oh come on now, Tyra, you walked right into that one," he laughed. He could see that she was in no mood for teasing, but that didn't stop him.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked her. Her look should have killed him. It sure looked like she had meant it to.

"And what reunion? Did I miss something?" she shot him another withering glare. "Cause I don't remember a reunion, and I don't think that's something I would forget." He was still grinning from ear to ear.

She glared at him. "Oh really, Mr. 'It's-not-all-about-sex-for-me." She snapped.

"Ok Tyra. I get it." Tim looks down. "You're pissed at me. You have every right to be. I'm sorry," he paused. "I'm sorry." He awkwardly looked up into her face and it was pretty clear to her that he was apologizing for more than just the crappy nosebleed seats he'd given her.

Tyra bit her lip.

"Tim. This isn't about… us." She whispered.

It was then he noticed that in her other hand she carried a suitcase and she had a duffle bag slung across her back. She needed a favor? "Here, Tyra let me get that for you." He offered and relieved her of the heavy bag and suitcase. He took a deep breath and followed her to the bedroom. She didn't pretend not to know the way.

When she opened the door and turned on the overhead light, they were both surprised to see a couple making out. They were all over each other. Tyra couldn't help the snicker that escaped before she lowered her eyes discreetly. "Hey. Get out," was all he said. It was enough. Tim and Tyra waited awkwardly as the couple hurriedly collected themselves and left. They entered the room and he dropped her bags on an empty space on the floor.

Inside, the bedroom was much quieter than the chaos outside in the hallway. She sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over. Then she turned on the softer bedside table light. Tim crossed the room to turn off the overhead light. Just like clockwork. He licked his lip and drained his beer. He sat down beside her.

It had been one hell of a day. He raked his hand through his hair. He sighed and looked over at Tyra.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 2**

Tim looked over at her. Tyra looked like she was trying to maintain her composure, but she was losing. Five minutes ago she was pissed, she was just snickering a moment ago and right now she looked like she was about to fall apart into a million little pieces and all that was keeping her from doing just that was the fact that she had her arms wrapped around herself. He'd never really seen her like this before. It was kind of scaring him. He looked closer at her. Had she been crying?

"Tyra, what is wrong?" he asked her.

"Nothing." She sniffled. "Everything."

She lowered her arms from her chest and turned to face him. She looked up into his face. "I just… I need a place to stay OK? It'll be just for a little while, until I can get stuff figured out. I was hoping… well, I mean, I'll talk to Billy too, but you know I can help chip in and pay for rent, bills, whatever, all that stuff. I just need a place to stay, Tim. I can sleep wherever, I just…"

Tim interrupted her. "Yeah, sure, you know you can stay here. We'll both talk to Billy tomorrow." He paused.

"You know what, don't even worry about it. I'll take care of it." He said this all calmly and very matter-of-factly, as if he had people moving into his house with him and his brother all the time. She visibly relaxed. They both stared at the floor in silence.

"You gonna tell me what is wrong though?"

No response.

"Tyra," he paused. "I need to know that you're OK, Tyra. I need you to talk to me," He added, and he could tell by her face that she was about to give in. She took a deep breath.

"Yeah, well. My mom and Bob got back together." She boldly met his gaze. "And since I'd told her that it was either him or me, well, I guess she's made her choice." This last was said defiantly, but he could tell that she was hurting badly.

"I can't stay there Tim." Tyra covered her face with her hands. "I can't stand to watch her….be with him. Be hurt by him. I just can't." she broke down, and slowly he pulled her into his outstretched arms.

Tim held her closely to his chest and took a deep breath. He slowly exhaled as he ran his hand behind her neck to sweep her hair up over her shoulder so that he could gently massage the tightness out of her neck. He stopped short upon seeing an old yellowish-green bruise that stood out on her golden skin.

He pulled away sharply and asked her with confusion, "Tyra, what is this?" His hands held her cheek in his hand. He tilted her chin upwards to get a better look at her neck. "What the…?" his hand dropped suddenly.

"It's nothing." She froze and stammered. The break in her voice told him it was anything but nothing.

"Tyra, what happened?" he asked her slowly. He met her gaze, and then asked, "Who did this to you?" he pulled back. His face reflected his shock as he turned her head to the left and saw a similar bruise on the other side of her neck.

He thrust her in front of him, gazed into her eyes and asked again, more quietly, "Tyra, tell me what happened."

He felt the blood rush in his veins and he fought to keep his head clear when all he could think about was pounding the living shit out of whoever had done this to her. She covered her face with her hands and started sobbing. She tried to turn away from him.

"Oh Jesus, Tyra," he pulled her back into his arms. "What happened? Who did this to you? Tyra. Tell me. You have to tell me."

Her initial reaction was anger. "Nothing happened Tim, alright?" she snapped. But then she met his eyes. In that second she collapsed. She fell into his arms and sobbed, "I don't know, I don't know. I don't know anything."

He held her tightly and stroked his hands through her hair. "Tyra. Ssshhhhh," he soothed her. "It's OK. Everything is OK. Come here. I've got you." He reassured her and held her tighter to him.

"It was the night of the State semis. I was supposed to meet Landry to study algebra. He didn't show, and when I left, this guy," she stopped, and her face showed her anguish. "This guy followed me out to the parking lot." Now she was sobbing. "He forced me into my truck and he tried to rape me," she managed to choke the last part out.

"Well did you call the cops?" Tim could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"No, I fought him off."

"You didn't call the cops?" He grabbed her to him and held her close, before pushing her aside and jumping to his feet to stand before her. "How else are we going to make that bastard pay for what he did to you?" he was scared, and it was coming out as anger. He stood before her with his hands on his hips. "Who was it? Hell, I'll kill that bastard."

Silence.

"Jesus. What did he do?" his voice fell evenly.

"Tim, I'm Ok, really. I just got bruised up. You've seen most of it."

His face hardened. If he didn't see exactly what that bastard had done to her he was going to be driven insane by his own imagination of it. He had to know.

"Tim," She cried, shaking her head. "I'm OK. It's OK, really." She protested.

"Damn it Tyra." he said softly. "Please. Show me."

"OK. Here." She said, standing before him. She bit her lip as she stepped back. She lifted up her shirt and swiveled her hips to show him the left side of her belly where a large, angry looking bruise had spread across her tawny skin. Even at almost two weeks old, it was still nasty looking enough to cause him to make a face.

"And I did go to the cops, just a few days afterwards, with Mrs. Taylor. It won't do any good though."

He later hated himself for his reaction. He could only stand there and stare. It looked awful. Definitely as bad as any bruise he'd gotten over the years. Except she had been attacked. No choice.

"Tyra." He took a deep breath. It was all he could do to keep from pulling her into his arms and never letting go. Damn that man for hurting her!

He stepped towards her and pulled her shirt back down to cover the bruise. His fingers lingered on the edge of her shirt, not wanting to let go. He looked into her face. She caught her breath, and her eyes met his. She was struggling to hold back more tears. He let go of her shirt and stepped back.

He licked his lips. "OK. You can fill me in later," he said. "You tired?" he asked her.

She nodded her head in response.

"Me too." he raised his head to gaze up at her and said, "Well, you can have the bed tonight. But tomorrow…."

She swallowed nervously. "Tim, you don't have to give up your bed for me." He smiled when he caught her looking longingly at the bed. It was better than sleeping at her mom's house, with that jackass Bob, she reminded herself.

"Well how about we both have the bed. And we sleep in it. Just sleep." Suggested Tim.

"Just sleep? Me and you, in a bed?" asked Tyra incredulously. "Are you crazy?"

"Come on Tyra, first time for everything. Trust me."

Tyra thought quickly and evaluated her options. There was no way the party was ending soon.

"You still have that sleep shirt of mine around here somewhere?" she asked him. She started shucking her boots.

"I don't know, why don't you look and see." he answered, knowing damn well her stuff was still in the dresser where she'd left it. He hadn't touched it. While she looked through the bottom drawer, he turned to face the wall to give her some privacy. Not that she really needed privacy from him. He could recall every inch of her from memory if he wanted to. But they weren't together any more. He stripped off his jeans and threw his t-shirt on the floor before crawling into the bed. He pulled the cotton sheet up to cover his waist. He leaned back and stretched out until he was comfortable, then laid his arm over his eyes.

But not before he snuck a quick glance in her direction. He couldn't help it. Hell. He pretended not to notice how smooth her long, slender legs were or how silky her hair looked. He felt his mouth dry. He closed his eyes and forced himself to ignore her. He could still see her in his head though. She filled out the #33 Panthers Football t-shirt and a pair of little pink shorts that he had given her a long time ago. Just breathe, he told himself. He kept his breathing steady when she slid into the bed beside him. He remembered all the countless other times they'd been together in his bed, and he wished she were here under different circumstances.

He switched off the light, and slowly exhaled his breath as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He was still shaken by her admission of the assault. He'd tried not to visibly react to seeing her body bruised as it had been. He didn't want to scare her or overreact. And that had been a tough order, but he had done it. But right now, lying beside her, he couldn't stop the dark bruises from flashing in his mind; he couldn't stop seeing the look on her face as she had described the attack. Before he knew what he was about, he had rolled over onto his side and pulled her gently into the cradle of his body, into the warmth of his embrace.

"Ssshhhh. Tyra," he soothed her gently. "Please, I just want to hold you. Girl, I just need to hold on to you right now."

And I think you want me to hold on to you too, he thought, even if she wouldn't admit it. A feeling of peace washed over his being when she relaxed and gave herself over to just being held in his arms. They were lying on their sides, and he was struck by how easily their bodies assembled instinctively into their old familiar sleeping positions. He closed his eyes. It felt so natural, and they both welcomed it. This was the ultimate in comfort, for both of them.

He smiled as she tucked her head into the spot underneath his chin. Her hair smelled so good. He held her tightly, and vowed to find the bastard that had attacked her and make him pay. He never wanted to let go of her again. He was getting a second chance. He felt relieved. He closed his eyes and felt sleep beginning to overtake him. He fought it. He wanted to remember this exact moment, to capture this feeling right now and draw on it the next time that he felt alone. Or felt abandoned and unloved. Because right now, he thought, he felt pretty damn good.

"Tim?" she said hesitantly, a question in her voice. The chaotic noise from the party can just barely be heard in the darkness.

"What?" he answered quietly.

She paused.

Then she whispered, "Thanks."

A long pause. She breathes heavily, but otherwise does not respond.

"Tyra?"

He was pretty sure she was asleep, and he wished he could say the same. Just sleep with her? Who was he trying to kid. There was no way he was going to be able to sleep peacefully with her curled up in his arms. He fought off being sleepy again and drew his arms tighter around her. He knew he only has a short period of time to enjoy this. And he intended to enjoy every minute of it.

I want you here. With me, but only if you want to be. The words remained unspoken.

Five minutes later, surprisingly, he had drifted off into dreamland. And not surprisingly, she was with him there too.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 3**

Tyra snuggled deeper into the warmth that surrounded her. She wasn't ready to get up just yet. She realized slowly that she wasn't in her own bed. The previous evenings' events flashed before her in her mind's eye. It was Saturday morning. She was staying with Tim. She had told him about the attack before falling asleep in his arms. At some time during the night, they had separated, and currently she was curled into a ball facing the wall. She quickly rolled over to see if he was really there, or if she had dreamed the whole thing.

There he was, lying on his back staring at the ceiling, and as she rolled over he shifted his gaze to hers. He was watching her with a strange look on his face. It was a look she could not identify and had not seen before. He was so damn hot. She couldn't deny it.

"Hey," he greeted her while he scratched his face, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. He was bathed in the warm sunlight of the morning. He rolled to his side so that they were facing each other. She smiled coyly and tucked the sheet tightly over her chest. She admitted to herself that she had just woken up to a contentment that she had not felt in ages. And it was because of him. Opening up to him, telling him about the attack…she felt lighter.

He couldn't help the smile that crept across his lips as he stared at her. Damn, he could stare at her all day! He squinted into the bright sunlight, but couldn't pull his eyes from hers. His smile widened as he brought his other forearm up to shield his eyes. Waking up like this, he sure could get used it. She smiled back. She cocked her head and tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear before dropping her gaze from his. He quickly looked away and rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling.

He exhaled slowly. He sure hoped Billy had remembered to unlock the bathroom before he'd turned in. He knew the one off the kitchen was probably a disaster. Last time they'd had a party, he'd spent the whole next morning cleaning when he was really hung-over and pretty pissed off. The place had been trashed. He had spent a good two hours completely scouring that bathroom while Billy had cleaned up the master bath which was in equally bad shape. This time they had locked both doors that led to the master bath so that it could not be used, restricting public use to the bathroom off the kitchen.

"Mmmm. I don't want to get up yet," mumbled Tyra.

"Well, the good news is, you don't have to." He spoke roughly. "Just go back to sleep. I got to get up though." He said as he got out of bed and stretched. He needed a shower. Now. He grabbed the towel that hung over the closet door and headed towards the bedroom door.

"Boy do I wish I could." Tyra sighed. "But I've got to go to work." She rolled back over to grab her phone. Her mom had left her two messages and Julie had texted her once.

"Yeah, well just as well. Not much to do around here but clean this place up, anyway, I've got to be somewhere at 11:00. What time are you done with work?" he asked her as he stretched.

"Five. You want me to give you a call?" she asked and yawned.

"That's cool." He said, and left to take a shower.

Tyra stretched and rose up to meet the day. She still couldn't believe her mom had just let Bob back into their lives. The man was a bastard and her mom deserved so much better. And she had no idea what she was going to do. She just needed a few days to figure that out. She quickly left the bedroom to find the other bathroom.

She was prepared for the sight that was before her. Red cups were littered everywhere. The front door was open, the screen door shut. The room smelled a little sour, but was thankfully quiet and empty. She was relieved to see that there wasn't anyone passed out on the couch in the living room. She crossed through the living room to the bathroom that was off the kitchen.

Tyra peered inside and figured she would wait to use the bathroom that Tim was currently in. She continued into the kitchen, which was in equally bad shape. Tyra was glad that she had to run off to work. She did feel kind of bad though, leaving Billy and Tim to clean up the mess. If she was going to be staying here she'd need to pull her weight. With that, she started collecting cups, emptying their contents into the sink and throwing the cups in the trash.

"Well, hey there now, didn't expect to see you here this morning," Billy greeted Tyra cheerfully as he walked in through the patio door. He was carrying a large plastic garbage can that he deposited in the middle of the room.

"Yeah well, I was hoping I could stay here for a few days. Let things calm down at my place." She explained. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked over at him.

"Stay here? What is this, a motel?" he laughed, but he looked uncomfortable.

Damn it, she thought. Tim had said he was going to talk to Billy. Too late.

"No, but I just, you know, I need a place to stay. It's just for a few days. Then I'll be out of your hair. I promise." She had no idea how long it would be, but for now that seemed like a good answer.

Tim entered the room wearing a blue Panthers polo shirt and his khaki pants. "Billy, Tyra's gonna be staying here for awhile. You got a problem with that?" his delivery and tone said he wasn't asking.

"Do I have a problem with that?" Billy asked, and shook his head in disbelief. Tyra jumped for the bathroom door. "Uh Tim, I'll catch you later," she whispered. She left the room.

"Tim, you're god damned right I have a problem with that." His voice rose with each word. "Tim, damn it, you're seventeen years old. You can't have your girlfriend moving in with you at seventeen years old. No. Sorry. It's not gonna happen."

"Well what do you have to say about it? This is my house too, and if I say Tyra can stay here, then Tyra can stay here," argued Tim.

"Like hell she can, Tim. Let me ask you something, who pays all the bills around here, Tim? Who pays the mortgage? I DO! And I say no. Listen to me. This is a bad idea." Billy was trying to rationalize with him, but Tim wasn't having it.

"Yeah, well, it's my choice."

"Like hell it is, boy. Tim, listen to me, this is not going to happen. No." Billy said more firmly than before.

"Well what if I say it is?" he took an aggressive step towards Billy.

"Well I say it isn't."

The boy lunged for the man, knocking him to the ground. Billy and Tim grappled for control on the floor, with Billy gaining the upper hand. He grabbed his younger brother by the shirt and brought him to his feet.

"You are not my father!" yelled Tim as Billy shoved him face first into the wall.

"No? So why are you making me treat you like a kid!? You grow up some boy, and I won't have to act like your father. Damn it Tim. She can't live here." Tim was immobilized against the wall, and struggled to free himself from his older brother's grasp.

"I want her to." Tim stopped fighting.

"She's not some stray cat, Tim. She's a teenage girl." Billy let go of him and slowly backed off, breathing hard.

Tim turned to face him.

"Look Tim, things are going to have to start changing around here. You got to start putting more time into your schoolwork so you can get into a decent college. Hell, with the year you just had, scholarships are definitely an option. And I'm not afraid to tell you Tim, that's the only way you are going to be able to go to college and play college ball. Don't throw that chance away."

"What does Tyra staying here have to do with me playing college ball?" asked Tim.

"The fact that you have to ask that question tells me you are not ready for this. OK, listen up. Are you listening? Tyra has her own life to live. And you've got yours and I've got mine. And if God's willing, we'll all end up living it large when it's all said and done, sitting out on our front porches drinking beers and reminiscing about crap like this with our grandkids playing at our feet. And if you want to make that a reality, you've got to be thinking about you. Right now. Doing what is best for you, for your future." He stared into his younger brother's face, willing him to understand.

"Now I know Tyra is special. You got to protect that too. Don't you do that to her," advised Billy in his best I'm-your-older-brother-and-I-know-what-is-best-for-you tone."

Tim looked confused. Why was Billy telling him to grow up? Billy shook his head and muttered under his breath. Tim heard something about youth being wasted. Billy headed back outside onto the patio. Tim scratched his head. He set about collecting the trash littered about the room. Billy strode back into the living room.

"Look Tim. I know where you're at, alright? I've been there. And, well. I want you to see this thing through. Go as far as you can go."

"You really think I got a shot?" asked Tim.

"Hell yeah. But it's already gonna be hard enough. Why make it harder on yourself? You don't need more responsibility. You can barely manage with what you've got. Hell, you've even got to pull it up some. Tami Taylor called me and talked to me the other day. Said she's keeping an eye on you? Get your act together, Tim, or your act is going to have you."

Tim went on, ignoring Billy's assertions about school. "I don't know Billy. There's something about… me and Tyra that just….well...it is what it is. I screwed up. I never should have…. Well anyway. But if this means another chance for me to be with her, even if it's just for a little while, well hell Billy. What do you expect me to do?" Tim said quietly. "I owe her."

"Back to Tyra huh. Well Tim, I sure as hell hope you get your priorities straightened out. Waste of my time," he swore under his breath as he strode out of the room, shaking his head. "Why do I even try," Tim heard him mutter.

Tim brooded. "It's just for a little while," he called after him. "Billy, she'll probably only be here for a few days. I'll talk her into going home. But for now…" he let his voice trail off.

For now, she was staying there, with him, for as long as she needed to. Tyra entered the room. "OK, so I'll see y'all later then." She said to him. He couldn't stop the thought of pulling her into his arms and kissing her as she strode across the room and walked out the front door. He shook his head.

Yep. It was back to Tyra. Again.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 4**

Tim Riggins closed his eyes and rolled over. His body let out a huge sigh as he slowly awoke. The familiar bearings of his bedroom came into focus and he opened his eyes wearily. Another day. It was Monday morning. Shit, he thought, he had a Biology test today. There was Tyra, sprawled on her stomach across the other side of the bed. She'd managed to push all her books onto the floor. He'd never seen her sleep until the past few days since she'd been staying at his house.

She was so beautiful. She was absolutely beautiful. Tim couldn't stop himself from staring at her in amazement. They'd both fallen asleep while studying with each other to prepare for their exam.

Sure, they'd slept together many times. In the past however when he had woken up to having her beside him in bed, they'd been wrapped up in each other, making watching her sleep fairly difficult. And besides, just watching her wasn't something he would have done, then.

He quietly rose to sit on the edge of the bed, and rubbed his head with his hands. He looked at the clock. They had plenty of time to get to class. He took a shower, shaved, and brushed his teeth. He walked back into the bedroom, damp, his long hair slicked back and with a towel wrapped around his waist, bare-chested. He strolled into the bedroom where Tyra was still lying on her stomach sprawled across her side of the bed.

She opened her eyes to watch him enter the room. "Huummm, I can't believe I just fell asleep like that last night. You 'bout done in there?" she asked him casually.

"What?" he asked and stared at her blankly. She had caught him off guard again. He was sober, he felt good, and he was naked. And he was staring at his ex girl, Tyra, who was sprawled across his bed. Did she say something to him? He shook his head to clear it and ran his fingers through his hair. "Oh yeah, sure. You know where everything is." He paused, and finished with, "Just help yourself."

She jumped up and was in the bathroom like a flash. He dressed quickly and gathered up his school things and shoved them in his backpack. He sat on his bed and reviewed the cheat sheet he had made for the exam. He sighed, and slowly relaxed as he listened to the sounds of her taking a shower. He hoped this test was easier than the last one. He heard the water turn off and the shower curtain was pulled open.

"You hungry?" he called to Tyra. He wanted to get going.

"Yeah, I'm practically starving." She answered.

"Hurry up, then, let's go."

He got up and picked up the dirty clothes off the floor and threw them in the clothes basket in the closet. Shoved his crib sheet in his bag and headed for the door.

A moment later the bathroom door opened and he froze. She passed but inches from him where he had paused in the doorway. Her golden skin was fresh, clean and glowing. His mouth dried as the sweet scent of her surrounded him. He swallowed. She had a white bath towel wrapped in a turban around her head. She stopped to pull down the edge of her skimpy t-shirt to her jeans. She sure was testing his will.

"Tyra, do you have to do that?" he lashed out at her.

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"You know what."

"No. What?" she repeated.

"You're parading around here like a god damn super model," complained Tim. He wasn't really pissed at her. She could parade around here all she wanted. What pissed him off was that he wasn't immune to her. And that caused him to be frustrated, and to lash out at her, the cause.

"So?" she retorted, "Tim, I'm just getting ready for school." Then she took a deep breath, smiled, and relaxed as she pulled off the towel and brushed her hair. "Will you just hold on and chill out. I'll be out of here soon."

"Well hurry up and get ready so we can leave for school. We can get breakfast if we leave quickly enough." He stood by the bed casually watching her in his comfortable jeans and soft vintage cotton t-shirt. He couldn't help it. He completely forgot about being hungry and getting to school.

"First though, let's just get this out of the way." She said quickly, and before he knew what was happening, she'd stepped in front of him, and with a hot gaze up into his eyes, she had slid into his arms as she brought his mouth to hers. They drank each other in.

His hands tangled in her damp hair as he kissed her. All that he could feel, all that he could breathe, all that he could taste, all that he could ever want was right here, right now. Her. His hands slid to spread across her shoulders, then down her back. He gently tugged at her hips to bring her body flush to his. He pulled his lips from hers, kissed her neck instead.

"Tyra," he breathed a warning. The old familiarity of each other washed over them. He pulled her closer to him, rested his forehead against hers.

She leaned into him and bravely lifted her eyes to meet his. What she saw in his eyes emboldened her. Why did he always have this affect on her? She stared at him. He was pushing her closer to the point of no return. He took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her.

"Damn it, Tim," she swore softly. "Why does it always come down to this?" she asked him, and with a hitch in her breath, she wound one hand around his neck to pull his lips back to hers to kiss him hungrily. Their mouths melded as their bodies unfolded and reformed together in a slow and passionate embrace. Heat radiated from them.

He needed to stop this right now or pretty soon he wasn't going to be able to.

He gently pulled his hands from her body. "Why? Hell, quit complaining," he groaned and pulled his lips from hers. Slowly she opened her eyes and he stared at her.

He was breathing heavily. "Tyra, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he fought to catch his breath.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought it might release the tension if we just got that over with." She smiled flirtatiously at him.

Was she serious? "You finally ready?" he asked her stiffly, scowling. He headed for the door.

"OK, well Tim, as you know, my kisses are not free," she teased him lightly, quickly regaining her composure. How about it was a good-luck-on-the-Biology-test kiss?" she asked him, gathering up her things to follow him outside.

"Yeah well. It'll take more than a kiss, I can tell you that." Frowned Tim.

They left the house and climbed into Tim's truck.

She'd not hesitated, but had slid all the way over so as to sit next to him. "Look, thanks again Tim." He put his arm around her shoulders, and just held her to him for a moment.

"Get over there and put your seatbelt on. I don't want you flying through the front window." He said gruffly, but before he pushed her away he stole a quick kiss from her. His lips slanted over hers, and his tongue teased her lip before he pulled away.

"Well what was that for then?" she teased him as they pulled away from the curb.

Tim smiled and turned to look her in the eyes, "That was my best I've-missed-you-Tyra-Collette kiss. And Tyra," he added, "for you, my kisses are always free."

She gave him a meaningful look before responding, "It'll take more than a kiss, I can tell you that." He looked shocked for just a moment before he burst out laughing. A slow grin spread across his face.

"That sounds like an invitation, Tyra."

"Yeah well, you wish. You'll know when you get one." She laughed.

"So are you saying its not?" Tim prodded her.

"What I'm saying, Tim, is that we don't have what I'd call a stellar track record."

Tim's bright face clouded over. He said sullenly, "Depends on what race you're talking about. We broke records, in my book."

Her cheeks turned pink.

"Well, we broke something, I'll give you that."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 5**

Julie was waiting by Tyra's locker. She was going to have to show up there sooner or later, and when she did they would finally be able to talk and catch up. She looked up at the clock. She still had a few minutes before she would need to give up waiting on Tyra and get to Spanish class.

Just then, she saw her turn the corner. Julie Taylor's brow wrinkled as she watched Tim and Tyra walking towards her. Heads turned to watch their progress, and Julie wondered if the other kids were shocked like she was at just seeing them together, happy, or if they just couldn't help it because they were both so gorgeous. They looked like they'd stepped from the pages of an Abercrombie and Fitch ad. And they looked like they were so unaware of anything else but each other. They both were relaxed, smiling, and laughing. They were glowing.

They stopped at Tyra's locker. Tyra leaned against it and he took a small step towards her to stand closer to her. She leaned in to him as he grinned at something she said. They spoke a while longer, and they exchanged an intense look before he moved away.

"Good luck on the test, Tim. I'll see you there." She added.

"Yeah thanks, I'm gonna need it," he said over his shoulder as he walked to his first class.

"Hey Tyra," Julie rushed up to her friend the moment Tim was a safe distance away. Tyra was opening her locker and putting her books and jacket away.

Julie was more than a little worried about Tyra. She'd been distant for weeks, ever since before the state semi-final game. Julie didn't know what, but she knew that something was bothering her friend.

"Oh hey Julie," smiled Tyra. She looked glad to see her. Julie couldn't help but notice how Tyra looked so relaxed. Were she and Tim back together again?

"So what is going on?" asked Julie.

"Oh you know. What's going on with you? Did you have fun Friday night? I hardly got a chance to see you. We left the dinner early. My mom and I were….well we were busy," explained Tyra.

"Oh well. Yeah. We had fun. Guess what, I'm not leaving Dillon!" Julie couldn't wait any longer to tell her friend the good news.

For a moment, Tyra looked confused before exclaiming, "Julie, that's great news."

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't want to spend the rest of my life here in Dillon either," explained Julie, "but at least I'll get to finish out high school in one place!"

"Oh Julie, that's great news. I know how upset you were about leaving. That's really great," said Tyra sincerely.

"So are you and Tim Riggins back together?" asked Julie bluntly.

"What?" she asked startled. "No. He's just helping me out for a little while. I'm staying at his house."

"What?"

"Oh, hey, Julie, look I got to run. Look, let's meet up at lunch, OK?"

"OK," said Julie. "But first. Wait. What do you mean you're staying at his house?"

"Look, it's just for a few days. It's no big deal. We'll talk about it later, OK?" Julie bites her lip as she watches Tyra bound off down the hallway.

"Hey," says a familiar husky voice behind her.

"Hey," she answers, turning to face him.

Julie winds her arms around his neck. "I'm staying, I'm staying!" she grinned.

"I know, I know!" he laughed, grinning back at her.

"Hey Saracen!" yelled some random in the hallway, "You gonna stick around for next season, or are you going for the NFL?" he laughed along with the crowd good naturedly, and didn't notice Julie's sudden sulk.

--

Tim wiped his forehead. Damn. This was probably going to be a hard test. He was sure wishing right now that he'd started studying a hell of a lot earlier. It just snuck up on him though, with everything else that was going on. He'd probably have forgotten about it altogether, if Tyra hadn't mentioned it. Hell, he knew he would have. They were in the same class. She'd saved his ass. They'd fallen asleep putting together their crib sheets. They were allowed one 4" x 6" card, with notes on both front and back.

He still couldn't believe how things just had not stopped coming at him. This whole god damned year had been one high followed by a low, then another high. First his best friend and the Panther's star quarterback was injured in the first game of the season, now he was permanently in a wheelchair. He pretty much hit the bottle hard after that. Poor medicine for guilt. Then, in a pissed off drunken haze, he'd broken up with Tyra, his girl. Then he and Lyla had hooked up and put on a show for the whole damn town. Walt had entered the picture, and he and his absentee dad had reunited. Tim hadn't seen him in years, and he'd been hoping that this time would be different. Only it wasn't. He took off again. He followed that up by banging his neighbor, who also happened to be the mom of a kid that practically worshipped him. Then they'd won the semi-final game. Then, they'd won state. And they'd been celebrating since. Nonstop. When he'd finally taken a break, Tyra was there, and she had needed him. Then come Sunday, he'd been all ready to spend the day relaxing, drinking, and watching football with his brother, when she had asked him if he was ready for their Bio test.

"What do you mean. We don't have a test, Tyra. That's next week." Tim said lazily.

"Tim," she snapped. "Hello. The test is tomorrow. Jesus Christ, are you telling me you haven't started studying yet? Tim, it's like 35 per cent of our grade!"

"Tyra, relax. I've been doing the reading and most of the homework. It'll be fine. I just have to you know, cram a little." He admitted.

Later that evening, as she had quizzed him, she had relaxed some when she realized he hadn't been exaggerating, he really wasn't that bad off.

He pulled himself back to the present and stole a glance over at Tyra. She was chewing on the end of her pencil but she looked pretty determined. He settled down and got comfortable in the chair. Ok, crunch time, he thought.

He scanned through the test. It was six pages and all the questions were multiple choice. It didn't look that bad. Hell. He got to work.

"Well, what'dya think?" she'd asked him when they walked out of class together.

"I don't know. It wasn't that bad." He'd said. He didn't add that Mr. Wilkes had winked at him when he'd handed in his test. "Come on girl. You hungry?" she playfully slapped at him.

"Why do you keep trying to feed me Tim? Just what are you trying to do here make me fat?" she accused him.

"Well, now that you mention it, you are kind of skinny," he kidded her.

"Tim Riggins, if I was fat you wouldn't look twice at me," she accused him.

"Tyra, if you were fat I still wouldn't be able to keep my hands off of you." He said honestly.

She laughed and he joined her, smiling. He looked over at her.

"Tyra, It's just…I'm always hungry." His look said it all. "Come eat with me." He asked her.

"Well I guess we better feed you then." She smiled at him.

"Besides, if you were fat," smiled Tim. "There'd just be more of you."

"Shut up Tim. That ain't funny no more. I ain't never going to be fat," said Tyra, but she was still laughing.

--

Lyla's lip curled as she watched Tim and Tyra enter the lunch room together. Lyla's face was pinched as if she had just tasted a raw lemon. Since when had those two become buddy/buddy again? She couldn't help but feel a little bit of jealousy. They were oblivious to everything around them. They were both of them laughing, looking so carefree and joyful. She scowled and turned away from them. She wondered, at least, if Tyra was as happy as she looked. She hoped she was.

It had been one crappy year. She didn't know which bullet she was going to have to dodge next. She slept with the town's bad boy and the whole town condemned her for it. Her parents were getting a divorce. And this latest incident, Jason kissing Suzie in his driveway, that one though, that one had pushed her over the edge.

Lyla was sick and tired of being perfect. If for no other reason than getting through this crappy year, she was going to be glad that she had found one very important thing this past year. She had found herself. And that made all the fear, all the guilt, all the anguish, all the hatred over the past year almost able to overtake her. But not quite, because yes sir, she had found herself, and in herself she had found the ability to overcome all of that sickness. She actually felt like she had been saved. She had been saved from herself.

It was a horrible thought, but yet, it was true. She had realized that over the past year she had been following blindly down the path of blissful ignorance. God she felt like a fool. But it had been all consuming.

One look now at her mom told her what she could possibly have avoided. Buddy Garrity, who had cheated on her mom, and on all of them, numerous times apparently, was done playing the role as her loving father. He was a very sad man at the moment. But he'd been the hero of his world. And she'd been there standing beside him like a royal princess of Dillon. What a lie it had all been.

The castle started to crumble with Jason's injury. Then it got worse when she'd found out that her dad had an affair with Tyra's mom…and according to her mom it wasn't the first time her dad had strayed. And then she'd cheated on Jason with Tim Riggins, his best friend, in an attempt to find solace for herself. Tim, who was so in need of love and comfort for himself, was unable to turn away from her and instead had offered her what he could. But that didn't mean she still didn't feel guilty as hell about it.

And she had found out a lot of things that she didn't really like about herself. Like, why did she not have a clue as to where she was going to go to school or how she was going to be paying for it? She'd always assumed she'd just follow Jason to wherever he went….Notre Dame, Michigan State, UCLA, wherever. That wasn't happening now. Now those straight A's she'd racked up were going to come in handy. As was her title of Homecoming Queen, and the fact that she was Head cheerleader. Well, until she quit the cheerleading squad when the season ended. She'd thrown her uniform away after the state championship game at the Holiday Inn in Dallas. And Tyra Collette had witnessed it. What the hell was she going to do with her life?

She needed to get a job. She thought of her options. Working at Applebee's with Tyra might not be half bad, she thought. She reminded herself to ask Tyra about it the next time she had the opportunity.

She didn't have a clue as to what she was going to do, but damn it, she was sure about one thing. She was going to get the hell out of Dillon as quickly as possible.

She stood up and left the cafeteria. She hated this place.

--

Tyra wondered why Mrs. Taylor wanted to see her. She'd gotten a notice, in third period, that Mrs. Taylor wanted her to come and visit her in one hour. Tyra wasn't sure what this was all about, but she was curious.

She didn't know what it could be about. Unless it was about…that night. She didn't even want to think about that. She didn't know if she could wait a whole hour. The period was over in fifteen minutes.

Mrs. Taylor probably just wanted to see her. But why the rush? The more she thought about it, the more she worried. But if this was concerning the almost rape, wouldn't the actual police be notifying her, rather than Mrs. Taylor? That seemed to make more sense. One of the officers had given her his card, and asked her to call if anything else came up that could help with the case. She'd shoved it away in the house somewhere. She didn't remember where. She was going to have a nice surprise someday when she ran into it again.

Tyra looked up at the clock again. Time was crawling.

She thought back to the events over the past week. She'd been watching from the sidelines while Tim had enjoyed the moment. She couldn't help but smile when he took hold of a cute little blond haired boy and swung him up beside him during the parade.

And then there was the Monday morning after the big win. The players had strutted through the hall with their jerseys on, and with their individual state champion medals hanging heavily around their necks. Every right hand proudly boasted a ring, a ring that would mark them forever as a member of an accomplished and elite group of men.

And the rally girls danced, and the cheerleading squad cheered. And people applauded and high-fived them when they went down the halls.

After a while she'd just had to give in. She'd smiled indulgently. Especially when every time he'd seen her, Tim had crouched down low and come at her knees like he was going to take her out. And since she was so tall, that it wouldn't have been tough to do. Tyra was almost all leg. She'd thought he was bluffing, but no, he'd meant it. She'd found that out the second after she'd tried to ward him off when he'd snuck up behind her that morning on their way to Biology class. He'd picked her up, swung her over his shoulder, and carried her around until she'd finally starting laughing before setting her down at her lab station. She'd had to catch her breath after that incident.

He'd just done it that once. But the rest of the week, when she'd happened to meet his gaze in the hall, his gaze was telling her, yep. I've done it once and I can do it again. He'd grin at her. It was just a little grin, barely there. But she could see it.

The week had flown by. Of course, there was a special pep rally planned for Friday afternoon, to celebrate the bringing home to Dillon another Texas State High School Football Championship. And after that there was the barbecue. Friday they only had their first two periods. That meant Tyra had to go to World History and then Biology, and then it was free time. Yee haw.

And then her whole world had come undone. She'd gone home on Friday after the barbecue to freshen up before heading out for the evening, and had found Bob and her mom watching Walker Texas Ranger in the living room in front of the TV. She could not believe what she was seeing. What on earth was that creep doing back in their house? Sitting on their couch?

"Uh Mom, can I talk to you for a minute?" she'd asked her mom, and called her into the master bedroom.

Tyra pulled her mother into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Mom, what are you doing? What is he doing here?" asked Tyra.

"Tyra, it's no big deal. He just stopped by after the barbecue, and you know, we're just watching a little TV, and…"

"Mom. I'm serious. You remember, that night of the rodeo, I made you a promise. Do you remember what it was?"

"Tyra, I don't believe this,"

"Mom, just answer me. Do you remember?"

"For god's sake Tyra, settle down girl."

"Stop avoiding me."

"Tyra honey, why are you being like this? You know you don't want to be like this."

"MOM!"

"All right, All right, yes, yes, stop shouting my gawd Tyra you sound like a banshee. Yes, all right? Yes I remember." She struggled to regain her control.

"What did I say?" she asked her mother.

Silence.

"I said him or me, Mom. HIM OR ME!" she yelled at her mother. "So what's it gonna be, Mom, what's it gonna be?" she screamed. Tyra was losing control, but she didn't care. What on earth was her mother thinking? Did she want Tyra to move out? Oh my god, what if that is what she wanted?

"Mom?" she asked.

"Tyra, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. You know, I just can't do it without Bob. Honey, please. Try to understand. You don't know what it's like."

"No Mom, I have a feeling I know exactly what it is like." And she wasn't going to stay around. Bob was going to ruin their lives. She'd be damned if she was just going to let him waltz back in here and start leering at her and smacking her mom around again.

She left the room. She started packing her bags. She couldn't believe how methodical she was. She packed up her things quickly and efficiently. She entered the living room with her suitcase in hand.

"Tyra. What are you doing?" She followed her outside. "Tyra honey, don't do this."

"Tyra, No. No!" she cried as Tyra tore out of the driveway.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**FNL** **Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 6**

Tyra had always wished that she was one of those lucky women who could look decent after a good cry. Unfortunately, the truth was far from it. Her eyes got all puffy, and her cheeks got all red and blotchy looking. But it was the look in her teary eyes that tore people's hearts right out of their chests. And she hated being on the other end of that look. Hated it.

And that is why she never cried. She took a deep breath and reminded herself of that. This wasn't really worth crying about now was it anyway? After all, the last few months of her life had been hell. This was nothing. But what was she going to do? Damn it. Tyra sighed and pulled over off to the side of the road. She stopped the truck and put her head in her hands. She sighed and stared out at nothing. If only that businessman from LA had been available, she could be living in La La Land right about now.

Yes, she did know how to pick 'em. She still couldn't believe it when the next morning, he'd picked up coffee and a muffin…for himself. She sighed. So California was out of the question. She didn't have enough money to strike out on her own and she didn't know anybody out there.

Besides, lately things had turned in a different direction. California seemed more and more like a dream. Now she had Mrs. Taylor watching over her shoulder. And she'd made good friends with Julie. She was creating some real ties. Ties that were based on her being honest with people, and being honest with herself. It was kind of scary.

But what was most surprising to her was that she and Lyla had come to some sort of agreeable terms. After state, she'd come across Lyla Garrity at the Holiday Inn just as she was tossing her Dillon Panthers cheerleading outfit into the trash. Tyra remembered thinking, boy, she ain't messing around. And Tyra had wanted to call her on it to see how strong she'd stand.

"Pretty intense, Garrity." She'd remarked. And Lyla's response? She'd invited Tyra to ride home with her.

And so she did. And they had had a good time, which was pretty amazing. They'd known each other their whole lives and had not cared to ever really know the other. But once they did, they found they had more in common than they didn't, which surprised them both. Now, they weren't BFF or anything, but they had a new understanding. But why on earth she was thinking about Lyla Garrity right now, of all people, was beyond her. She pushed Lyla aside.

Well, she'd always have Mindy. Her sister would be there for her if she needed her. But what help would she be? Tyra was able to admit she didn't want to follow in her big sister's footsteps. And of course, she had Julie. She hadn't made friends that easily in a long, long time. She smiled when she thought of sweet Jules. She and Julie, well, they seemed to be connected on some other level. They just got each other. But Tyra was damned if she was going to taint her with this ugliness. Nope. No way.

She had Landry. Well sort of. She wasn't sure where she stood with him. He was always so…jumpy around her. She took a deep breath and knew where she was headed. She started up the truck. That left her with one viable option.

Tim. She sighed.

Riggs. Tim. Timmy. Big Tim Riggins. No matter what she called him, no matter what she did, she couldn't help but get pulled right back in. Her lip curled and she shook her head and looked up to the sky, as if asking for strength from above. Just like she there was no escaping from Dillon, she couldn't escape from Tim either. And it's not like it's a painful sentence, she reminded herself. Far from it. But being with Tim had the power to consume her. She knew that if she wanted to get out of Dillon, then she had better steer clear of Tim, because that was right where he was headed. And that scared the hell out of her.

She knew that going to Tim now meant something more than her looking for a place to crash. And she wasn't sure if she was ready to handle it. This was going to be a challenge on so many different levels.

It meant she was going to have to tell him about the almost-rape. She had put that completely out of her head, and the only time she even really thought about it was when she was in the dark, and she was alone when she couldn't sleep. It was ridiculous, but there were times when she had been so close to jumping into bed with her mom. But she hadn't. Because then she would have had to tell her mom. And she just wasn't going to bother her with it. She had enough going on.

She shook her head. She really didn't have a choice, though. She couldn't show up at the Taylor's house. And she wasn't going to sleep in her truck. And she couldn't go home. Tim's was the only logical place. She would sleep on the couch for pete's sake. She knew he wouldn't say no.

But then, maybe he wouldn't even notice... and then she wouldn't have to tell him. She had gotten pretty good about styling her hair just so and covering up the bruises. No one had said a thing all week, except Mrs. Taylor and Landry. And those were the only people that did know. And she intended to keep it that way.

But maybe he wouldn't notice because he didn't care. She had no idea with Tim these days. One minute he's soaking up the spotlight, the next he's running at her in the hallway and picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder potato sack style. Well, ok, she'd put up enough fuss that he'd only done it once. But now he got a kick out of pretending like he was going to do it every time he saw her in the hallway…and damn it, she couldn't deny it, but she was liking the attention!

But who knew? Lately, it seemed Tim was making his way around town. She wasn't going to get roped back into that, nope. Or so she had thought. And then he'd showed up at her house, told her that he was done with the neighbor, and then, he basically told her that he needed her. Said he wanted to be friends.

At first she was really pissed off. He had the nerve? What in God's name was he thinking? He had the balls to ask her to just hang out and be friends? Her and Tim? That was about as likely as Bob turning into a stand-up guy. She reminded herself of the whole friends conversation as she took the last turn towards Tim's house. Time to put that whole idea to the test.

Girl, you are so walking into the dragon's lair, she told herself. Because truth be told, she wasn't over Tim. Not even close. She hadn't realized it until she was forced to admit it by Lyla Garrity on the way to state. She was still pissed at him for that. Sleeping with Lyla Garrity! And then he went and shacked up with his old lady neighbor? But the last straw had been when he offered her his state tickets on the fifty yard line, and then turned around and gave them away! Bastard.

She pulled up to the Riggins' house. There were cars parked up and down both sides of the street for blocks. Apparently, the Riggins boys were doing it up Texas style…again. She pulled into the open spot in the driveway right next to Tim's truck. Music and laughter spilled out into the moonlit night.

She pulled her bags from the cab and walked right on in to what looked to be a pretty good time. The party was in full swing. She scanned the room, looking for Tim. She saw plenty of people she knew. She saw Bart Oliver over in the corner, she quickly looked away. At just that moment, her eyes found what she was looking for. Tim.

He was leaning up against the kitchen breakfast bar, beer in hand. Some young scantily clad underclass girl was working it with him hard. She was standing particularly close to him, laughing and flirting with him, her posture and body language were an open invitation. She shook her head as she made her way towards him. He hadn't noticed her yet. He looked like he was so bored. Or maybe he was just drunk. Reality was he was probably both. She hoped he wasn't too drunk. Or maybe she hoped that he was.

He was scanning the room, like he was looking for someone. She unconsciously caught her breath. Damn him. Why did he have to be so damn attractive anyway? She steeled herself. Remember the "friends" conversation, she told herself. She reminded herself that she really had no other options. It didn't matter that all she really wanted to do was turn around, tuck her tail and run out the way she had come in. She put her head down and made her way towards the dragon. She could do this, she told her herself. She didn't have much of a choice.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: (added 6/7/07) Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 7**

Tyra was pulled back to the present, thinking if Tim was the dragon, where did that leave her? Was she the helpless princess in this situation? Hell, if she had to be the stupid princess, why couldn't the world be the dragon and Tim could be her knight in shining armor? Because there is no knight in shining armor, she thought. Not around here, at least. There was a "no knights allowed" sub-header on the "Welcome to Dillon" sign on the highway into town. And see, sure enough Coach Taylor had just come to visit. He was the only gentleman she could see this town had to offer, and he was on his way out. Well, Tim's brother Billy seemed alright too, but according to Mindy he was always down at the Landing Strip. Puh-lease.

Mrs. Taylor had summoned her and she was just waiting for class to end so she could find out what it was that Mrs. Taylor wanted to see her about. She felt herself getting anxious. She relaxed by thinking of something else—her kiss with Tim earlier that morning.

It was everything she had remembered and all that she could have hoped for. She closed her eyes. He turned her into a love starved angel of desire. She had started it. Just to see what would happen. It didn't take long to find out. He quickly assumed control. Their kiss turned loose a pure liquid need that rushed through her and took over her body. He was able to evoke such a feeling of heat in her, and so quickly, that she was almost completely overwhelmed. She indulged herself, just for a moment, remembering it. She blushed.

It was just supposed to be a kiss. Just a kiss. But it wasn't. That kiss had said a few things. It said she still loved him. And she had once hated herself for that, for still loving him. Damn him! It was a shame to realize that what she wanted most she shouldn't try to have. She shook her head. That was the story of her whole life. She knew that she shouldn't try to be what she wasn't, or try to have what she wanted. Tyra had become so tough, so ready to fight back… she was ripe for the kind of love that she and Tim shared. She was always ready for it, because it filled a void.

Dear god, he made her want him. Even with just a kiss. But kissing Tim, hell anything with Tim, always seemed to teeter on a thin fine edge of control. Every little thing about him made her melt. The way he looked at her when he reached for her. His hands, those wonderful, magical hands and fingers that were so solid, sure and strong. His full lips and the way they tugged and pulled and nibbled. She felt slightly ashamed at getting aroused just thinking about it. She was seriously amazed that it hadn't gone any further. She briefly allowed herself to imagine if it had.

Loving Tim had consumed her. It was so powerful that it made everything else seem so unimportant. With Tim, the desire to connect with him, share her self with him, that need overcame everything else. Some primal part of her took over, and if she was being honest with herself, she would admit that giving herself over to him was inevitable. Fate. She craved him and the mind bending insane toe curling pleasure that he gave her. Tim wasn't a selfish lover. And she was as generous as she got. There was absolutely no control, no limits, and no inhibitions. Their physical relationship was out of this world.

Those were the golden times, and those early times were the best. For the first time in years, she felt like she was a part of something that was really good, and it was also something that she wanted. And it was totally clicking. And as a fringe benefit, it provided an enormously satisfying outlet for all the worked over, pent up emotions that were constantly pining inside her. In many, many ways, they'd been so good together.

But when it came to being what the other needed outside of the bedroom, well, that was a different story. They knew the stakes were high. But they didn't allow the relationship to go beyond sex. After all, wasn't great sex enough? They had all the right moves, all the appearances down pat. But they were inexperienced, and they lacked the basics to handle rough waters. Neither one of them would offer anything up as to what they needed or wanted from the other; except of course in the bedroom, where wants and needs were completely filled.

And so naturally then, everything had lead to sex, period. And when they weren't having sex... well they were, quite honestly, just waiting for the next go around. It added to the already building anticipation and eventual pleasure. It was part of their pattern. But emotionally? Well, neither one was willing or ready to need the other. That hadn't really ever been part of the plan. Or so they had thought.

And this is what that all felt like, she remembered. It was like they were both behind the wheel of a huge semi driving super fast down a slippery and winding mountain road. When they approached their first unexpected curve, they panicked because it was unfamiliar and new. And they didn't trust each other. So they both jumped ship. And once they both realized that they were safe and sound…well of course they naturally were drawn back together. And they did it over and over. Tyra could not resist Tim. She simply could not turn from him.

She wished that she could. She really, really did. He didn't deserve her, and she didn't need to put up with his crap. She'd been so angry because of all that had happened between them, and how close she'd been to completely giving up. He'd just ended it with her, just like that, like what they'd had was nothing. Tyra didn't want to admit it, but despite all her efforts she'd fallen for him. She'd come to need him and to depend on him. And then he'd just dumped her, out of the blue. Tim didn't usually give up so easily. But also, she'd known that he'd never had such a strong intense relationship with any woman… until her. But after he dumped her, he had turned right on around and got with Lyla Garrity of all people. And that had been enough. She had had it for the last time. She shook her head and said good bye to Tim Riggins once and for all, right after she'd slapped him upside the head in his driveway with Billy looking on.

And that had been before the more recent development of his new idea of being friends. She loved it. Bring it on Tim. She wasn't one to turn a friend away. They'd been spending some time together these last few days, and she had to say, just being with him did feel attractively familiar.

And the kiss said something else too. She'd only kissed him mostly because she had needed to see. See what intimacy was like now. She wanted to know what she was capable of. She had needed to know. She didn't want to be in a situation down the road, and not know.

She didn't feel guilty about using him. This too was part of the pattern of their complicated duet. Instead, she felt so relieved. She had seriously come apart in his arms. She'd been afraid that maybe, because of the attack, that it might be different. That she might be different. But it was OK. Everything was going to be OK. Thank god!

All in all though, she was pretty relieved. She looked up at the clock. The period was almost over.

When the teacher released the class, she was the first one on her feet and out the door. She headed to Mrs. Taylor's office. She had no idea what this was about, but she was about to find out.

--

Tami was not sure how Tyra was going to react to this. She had no idea. She had no real comparison points, except the recent "almost rape" as Tyra referred to it. And Tami had been pretty impressed with Tyra's handling of that situation thus far.

Aside from initially denying that it happened and keeping it all to herself, once she took responsibility and faced it she'd done pretty well. She'd taken a few days to pull herself together. She'd gone down to the Police station and reported the incident. She was back at school and had not missed a class since the week of the assault. She'd been managing it well.

She sighed heavily. Tami figured that the best possible reaction would be if Tyra were to react with some alarm, some heightened hysteria, followed by acceptance, and then a calm and thoughtful approach for next steps.

Damn it. She shook her head as she realized that she'd just described what she would do if she were in Tyra's situation. She took a deep breath. But this really wasn't about her and what she would do. This was about one Miss Tyra Collette and what she might do. She'd been replaying various situations in her head, over and over. Preparing herself. Tyra was entitled to any emotion that came to her. Tami needed to be able to allow her to have those emotions, and then help her find her way through them. Tami was trying to come up with what she felt would be the best approach, the best way to tell Tyra what had happened. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since Sheriff Post called and informed her of the situation a little over an hour ago.

Tyra didn't deserve this, Tami thought. For all her devil may care attitude, inside was a brave but scared girl who just wanted to find a place in the world and make her way to it. And to do it, she had to navigate through a minefield. Damn it, why did some kids always have it tougher than others, she wondered? This shouldn't be something a seventeen year old girl should have to deal with. She closed her eyes and rubbed her tummy. She smiled when she pictured the new life that was going to be joining her family. Tami absentmindedly stroked her belly and reminded herself to stay focused on the one thing that was going to get her through this. She was going to be making a positive impact. Tyra needed her. And that was all it took to turn Tami Taylor's spine to steel.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal. Added 6/13/07.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 8**

Tyra flew into Mrs. Taylor's office.

"You wanted to see me, Mrs. Taylor?" she asked, trying to sound calm.

Tami turned to Tyra. Her posture remained relaxed. "Oh hey, Tyra honey. Come on in here and have yourself a seat."

Tyra crossed the room to sit opposite Tami. Tami leaned forward and took a deep breath.

"Honey, I want you to know that anything you need, and I mean absolutely anything, Tyra, you just let me know and I am right here for you. OK? You are not alone in this. That's the very first thing I need to tell you."

Tami blinked once, licked her lip, and lowered her gaze. Tyra looked puzzled. Her brow wrinkled, and she frowned suddenly.

"The second thing that I need to tell you is that I'm not alone either." Tami continued slowly. "There are people around you, people that care about you, and honey, you are going to need them right now. OK? You are going to need them. So I want you to know that too."

She paused and allowed Tyra to soak all this in. Tyra's face has turned from bewilderment to fear to dread.

"Mrs. Taylor. What. Is going. On." Tyra spoke each word evenly, but her chin was just beginning to quiver. And just as quickly as it had started, it stopped and she looked Mrs. Taylor in the eye.

"Tyra. Your mom is in the intensive care unit at Odessa Memorial. They are giving her the best of care, and she is in stable condition.

"What happened."

Sigh. "She was assaulted by a man, a man I believe you know, a Bob Woodson. He beat her, and left her unconscious. The internal bleeding was so bad that honey, she nearly died. Your sister Mindy found her around ten I guess, and she called the hospital's emergency response team. They arrived fifteen minutes later, and she has been slowly improving since then."

"What about Bob."

"Honey, I don't think…"

"No damn it, what happened to Bob?" Tyra jumped to her feet to stand before Mrs. Taylor.

Tami stood to face her.

"Well, he's gone, honey," Tami gently grasped Tyra's shoulders and looked her directly in the eye. "He's gone."

"I want to see my mom." Tami pulled Tyra into her arms and stroked her hair. Tyra's arms remained limp.

"Yeah, honey, I know. Come on, I'm driving." She turned Tyra towards the door and they both hurriedly strode down the hall. Tyra's face was stark white; Tami's looked stony.

--

Spinning, the whole world is spinning. Faster and Faster, and now breathing faster and faster, it won't stop, don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes, don't close your eyes. She fades into black.

--

Matt was so glad that the school part of the day was over. He was going to hit the gym next during his free period, and then that was it. He was going to go on home and do all his homework, and then call Julie, see what she was up to, and then he was going to watch Deal or No Deal with Grandma. Not that he didn't like school, he liked it fine, it's just that he had a severe case of cabin fever right now.

He was on top of the world! They'd won state. He'd done real good as QB1! And pretty soon the off-season would be over and they got to go after it all over again! He still couldn't believe it. Hot damn! But that was nothing compared to Julie Taylor. He'd say it again. Julie Taylor. He'd been admiring her for so long, that the first time he'd opened his mouth around her; he was so horribly tongue-tied that he couldn't get any words to come out. He'd just stood there like some simple idiot and he hadn't been able to make a very good impression.

But that was all in the past. And now that football was over, well, he was really looking forward to spending more time with her.

Matt entered the gym. Smash was already there, they shared this period and had been working out together the whole year. The gym was full of sweating teenagers, skin, and muscle.

"Hey. What's up?" Matt greeted Smash.

"Living the dream, Matty, living the dream,"

Matt shook his head at his friend. Smash was so full of himself.

"Matty, you lookin' light. What you benching? Huh?"

Matt met his gaze, and started stretching his arms. He shifted his gaze away from his.

"Cause whatever it is that you be pressin', it's sissy man," he said challengingly.

"You know how I know?" Smash continues.

"Ask me how I know! Go on. Hey," Smash turns a big guy that is spotting for someone at the bench next to him. "Mac, go on, you feel me. Ask me. Ask me how I know." He turns back to Matt and grins.

"Because you is a sissy man, Saracen. That is how I know. Saracen man, you got nothin."

Matt shook his head again. He'd been lifting pretty regularly and was seeing results. He was pretty sure he could bench more than Smash.

"Smash, put your money where your mouth is."

"What!? Did I hear you correctly? Was I just issued a challenge? By Matty Saracen, our QB!!? I think I was!" Smash.

"Nah, nah. Smash. Come on back here. I'm kidding."

"You damn right you kidding. You couldn't afford it! Cause you know you'd lose to the Smash."

Matt grinned and started putting weights onto a barbell. Satisfied, he sat down on the bench.

"Are you done talking to yourself yet? You think you can come over here, and spot me?"

--

Tim closed his locker. And was surprised to see Lyla Garrity leaning up against the locker behind it, looking intently at him.

"Hey Tim."

"Hey," why was she staring at him like that, he wondered.

"Look, I'm just, well, I just wanted to you know, see what was going on."

"Uh, whatdya mean? Nothin's goin' on." Tim was honestly confused by her whole approach.

Lyla bit her lip.

"Look Tim, I don't want there to always be this awkwardness… I don't like it." she admitted.

"Yeah Lyla, well me neither." He crossed his arms over his chest and stepped back to face her.

"Well what do you think we should do about it?" she asked him honestly.

Tim looked her full in the face.

"Look Lyla, I don't have any answers. I think we should just, you know, move on."

"Tim," she says dismissively, "I have moved on."

"Well OK. Then. What do you want?" Said Tim, frustrated.

"I just. I don't know." She answered him, equally frustrated.

"Look Lyla, I can't help you if you don't even know." He said softly, quietly.

"Damn it Tim. I feel like I'm screaming into a windstorm, and I'm shouting so loudly but for some reason no one can even hear me. What is wrong with me? And damn it, why does it seem like you are the only person who I can tell this to? Why do you hear me? Why damn it?"

"I don't even know what is going on anymore. I mean I don't even know," she bites her fist and she is fighting so hard to keep from crying in front of him. She is not going to break down here. She is not going to.

But suddenly everything was piling up. Her dad. This damn town. Jason. Most of all Jason. She felt dizzy for a moment, and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

Tim sighed, and shrugged. He eased his hands into his pockets. He leaned up against the lockers and let his head fall back.

"Lyla," he began. "Look." Tim turned and looked her in the eye.

And just like that, he turned and walked away, leaving her staring after him. She got his message loud and clear. Figure it out, you're on your own.

--

Tyra bit her lip and followed Mrs. Taylor out to her SUV. Why had she left her mom alone with that monster? Why on earth?

She'd known it was a bad idea, but she'd just been so angry at her mom. Oh god, she couldn't believe how awful she felt. This was horrible. She was sweating all over. Her mom was in the hospital and it was all her fault. If she hadn't run out on her mom, none of this would have happened. Why had she done that? Dear god, why? She began to cry softly. She stared out the window and was surprised to realize they were nearly to the hospital. She could see it looming ahead. Concrete and metal. She felt bitterness creep up her throat and she fought off the nausea that had her stomach curdling. Her hands shook and she struggled to wipe the tears from her cheeks and pull herself together. She could do this. She had to. OK. Here we go. Again. Breathe. Breathe.

--

Jason pulled himself up to sit straighter in the couch. He pointed the channel changer at the home theatre system and changed to the Nature Channel. He spent the next twenty minutes watching a documentary on sea turtles. It was a half hour later when he realized that he was so damn bored. Not that he wasn't impressed by the beauty of the sea turtle, but damn it, where was Ultimate Fighting when you needed it? He grabbed the remote, and began flipping through the channels. Why wasn't there any good TV on during the day? He wondered for the hundredth time if he was doing the right thing.

He reminded himself that although he wasn't in school just then, he was relearning how to live in this new body of his. He was learning how to do the most simple and most basic of things. Just getting out of bed was so much harder now. And he was able to admit that it wasn't easy. But really, he thought, don't you still want to go on to college? Do you really just want to get your GED? Jason, who was once focused on attending Notre Dame on a full scholarship and going on to med school… he shook his head. It just didn't feel right. He sighed.

But then he remembered back to those first few days when he had gone back to school. He'd hated it. He remembered Lyla being pissed at him for not giving it enough of a chance. He'd hated her then, for that.

"Jason, you can't just give up that easy,"

"Why not?"

"Because, you're JASON STREET, THAT'S WHY!"

Jason briefly remembered their exchange. He sighed. Lyla. Ly – la, Ly – la, Ly – la.

He shook his head. He thought of Suzie. Curly haired, dimple grinning, freckly-faced Suzie. With the henna.

Suzie was pretty damn cool. He couldn't stop thinking about her. She didn't care that he was in a wheelchair now. She was fun, and she made him feel special. She made him feel like himself.

He didn't know who that was anymore. But with Suzie, it didn't even matter. But with Lyla, he was always avoiding her gaze. And Tim, well, Tim was Tim and there was no getting around that. That wasn't going to change. Herc was his best buddy these days. He missed Tim, but Tim didn't seem comfortable around him. Oh, they were OK in a group setting, but he and Tim hadn't hung out just the two of them, not since, well, he couldn't remember when. And how sad was that. His best friend. Some friend, he thought bitterly.

Instead of being there for him, Tim had opted to be there for Lyla. Jason's nose twitched. He didn't think he would ever be able to forgive them for that. And Lyla. The way she looked at him now. He hated it. He hated all of it.

God damn it, where was his goddamn Nirvana?

--

Beep.

Beep.

SWOOOSH! SWOOSH!

Beep.

Beep.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

Tyra held onto the guardrail on the hospital bed and looked down at the body lying before her. It was her mother, but yet it was not. There was a tube coming out of her throat, another one coming out of her nose, her face and her head were misshapen, and swollen, and colored with bruises. And she looked small. So very very small. And broken. She was all broken. She looked, just like a doll, thought Tyra. A little doll. She started to cry.

She feels hands on her shoulders. She hears a sharp intake of breath.

"Oh my dear Lord."

She senses rather than sees Tami Taylor making the sign of the cross behind her.

Beep.

Beep.

SWOOOSH! SWOOSH!

Beep.

Beep.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, David Nivens, and Brian Grazer; owned by NBC Universal.

**A/N:** I just love this show, and the characters in it. This is keeping me going until 8/14 (DVD street date). It's rare to have a character driven drama –and I guess I'm just trying to continue that element of the show that I enjoy. Everything I've read tells me that season two will pick up at the beginning of the school year, after summer. So this is just some filler. This is all going somewhere, I promise! It's taking its time to develop; it is slow going to weave all the characters into it.

This chapter is esp. for Red-Satin! 

**Instant Replay: **Tyra and Tim struggle to be friends. Tyra's mom is in the hospital. Lyla and Jason are avoiding each other and both are frustrated. Matt is looking forward to spending more time with Julie now that the season is over.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 9**

Students were hanging out around outside Dillon High. It was a day like any other. Waverly Grady was standing outside the school at the west entrance at "the wall". Arms crossed over her chest, weight on one hip, she did not look happy. She sighed. She'd been waiting for Brian for five minutes all ready, and it was the longest five minutes she'd ever experienced. This was a busy area, but still she was alone, and uncomfortable. She didn't know anyone. She hugged herself tighter and looked again at her watch. Damn it, her nail was chipped and she angrily chewed it off.

The west entrance was at the southwest corner of the building, right next to the student parking lot. A sidewalk ran along the border of the school, and on the west side of the building, the sidewalk was paralleled by a low brick wall that was the perfect height for students to sit on. The area was called "the wall". It was usually frequented by the upperclassmen at the school, because many of the older students had access to a car, and therefore frequently used this entrance as it was adjacent to the student lot. The underclassmen (who more likely took the bus) hung out around the north entrance near the bus stop.

She glanced around, and tried hard to be discreet about it so no one would notice. Yep. She was the only person who was standing by herself. She bit her lip. She briefly made eye contact with a greasy haired senior. She quickly looked away. She sidled up to a vacant spot on the wall and leaned against it.

He'd asked her to meet him at the wall after school. The plan was that they were going to go back to her house to hang out and study, and then maybe watch a movie later. That is, if he ever showed up so they could go. She bit her lip. She didn't like being here alone. She shifted her weight impatiently. Where was he?

Finally she saw a familiar face. Lyla Garrity came out the door and was walking towards her. Lyla did not look happy either. She didn't really look like anything. She looked blank.

"Hey Lyla," she greeted her. She didn't really know her that well, but she really liked her. The times they had spent together were fun.

"Oh hey Waverly. What's going on?" Lyla asked her casually as she stopped beside her.

She was so happy to see someone she knew. Talking to Lyla Garrity was a good thing. Waverly sighed in relief and relaxed.

"Oh, you know. Just… being… stupid I guess!" Waverly surprised herself by giggling. Once she started, she couldn't stop.

"Stupid?" Lyla joined in. Waverly's laugh was infectious. "What do you mean?" quizzically.

"Oh I don't know. Nothing." She stopped laughing to smile at Lyla. "I'm just waiting for Brian."

"Brian? Oh, you mean Smash."

"Yeah."

"Cool. Well, hey listen, we should get together sometime. I kind of wanted to see that new Bond movie. I hear Daniel Craig is a Bond for the ladies!"

Waverly regarded Lyla, "I might be able to be talked into that." Waverly started digging through her purse.

Lyla grinned.

"All right. Here, will you enter your number?" she asked her, and after pushing a few buttons on her phone, she passed it to Lyla.

"Yeah, cool. Maybe Saturday afternoon?"

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

"Ok. I'll call you. See ya Waverly." Said Lyla, and waved goodbye.

Waverly smiled, and then realized she was alone again. She shifted uncomfortably. Why couldn't she have said something more interesting to keep Lyla around? Where was Brian?

Just as the thought entered her mind, he was walking towards her. No, he was strutting towards her in his letter jacket. She grinned and shook her head. How could one person be so sure of themselves? Brian sure had enough mojo to spare. Maybe some of it would wear off on her, she thought. She could use a little.

"Hey baby girl!" he greeted her as he got closer. He smiled at her and stretched his arms wide as he walked towards her.

"Hey yourself. You're late," she chastised him, but with a smile.

"Baby, the Smash is never late. The smash is always right on time." He asserted. He moved in closer to her, and lightly kissed her lips. She let him, before stepping back and giving him a good look.

Waverly regarded him playfully. "Well is the Smash ready to get going? Because "the wave" here was ready ten minutes ago. And if that is what on time means to you, then we have got some talkin' to do, Brian."

"Chill girl, I'm just foolin'. The bus doesn't come for another ten minutes. We got to wait for a little while more anyway. What bus you on? We're goin' to your place, right, baby?"

"The bus?" asked Waverly. "I thought you had a car today. Her brow wrinkled. Why did you have me meet you at the wall if you don't even have a car?" she accused him with rising disgust.

"What? What do you mean, Waverly?" Smash looked confused.

Waverly shook her head and looked down at the ground. He wouldn't understand even if she explained it to him.

"Nothing. Fine. Let's just go and wait for the bus."

"You OK?" Smash carefully regarded her.

"I'm fine. Let's just go."

--

Tim walked slowly up the driveway, wearing shorts and a gray armless t-shirt. He'd just completed an easy five mile run. He was breathing pretty hard though, so he felt like he'd gotten a pretty good workout. He stopped to stretch in the driveway. Next up, he'd hit the weights. He wanted to condition himself so that he improved during the off-season. Just maintaining his current physicality wasn't enough. He reminded himself of that, and also reminded himself that he always felt so good after a workout. He couldn't afford to slack off. He needed to build up his strength and conditioning. But right now, he couldn't wait to sit down and have a beer and shoot the shit with Billy. He entered the garage and grabbed at a towel to wipe the sweat off of his face.

He grinned when he entered the house to find Billy sitting on the couch. Apparently, Billy had been waiting for him.

Tim was in a good mood, and it showed. He was about to make a smart-ass comment in greeting, but Billy spoke before he could.

"Hey. Timmy. You got a minute? Cause you and me; we got to have a little talk."

"Sure. Can I hop in the shower first?"

"Well, yeah, I 'spose. But will 'ya hurry up?"

Tim could tell he wasn't going to like whatever it was Billy wanted to tell him. Tim left to change in his bedroom, then quickly jumped into the shower. Billy probably wanted to talk about Tyra, he realized, and thought that Billy had looked pretty serious. Tim wished he knew his brother better to be able to anticipate these rough moments. He quickly showered, then re-entered the living room. Billy watched from the couch as his brother crossed the room to sit across from him. He had just cracked open two beers, and held out a longneck to his brother. As Tim took it from him Billy let out a deep breath.

"Thanks," said Tim. He took a deep swallow. The cold beer tasted so good. He took another swallow. He leaned back and stared at Billy.

"So what's up?" asked Tim.

"Well Timmy, things are tight." Billy sighed. "And unfortunately, Dillon's not exactly a hotbed for construction growth right now." Billy paused, took a drink of his beer, and set it down. He leaned towards his brother. "And that ain't gonna change."

"Bottom line is Timmy, I gotta be able to keep paying down the mortgage on this house. I need work. And damn it, you're old enough now to shoulder some of the responsibility."

Tim felt his back stiffen. Where was all this going? He wasn't sure he liked the sound of this.

Billy sighed. "I'm your brother Tim, and I'm doing everything I can here for you. But this time, well, you're going to have to be on your own for a little bit." Billy looked his brother squarely in the eye.

"Whatdya mean?" Tim pulled up in surprise, sat straighter. "Where are you going?"

"Well, Cotter's got a job for me in Terre Noir. That's a small town outside New Orleans. He's offered me a job running a crew down there. I'm gonna take it," explained Billy.

"What? For how long? Like a couple a weeks?" asked Tim.

Billy chuckled wryly. "No Timmy, more like a couple of months. We don't have much choice."

"Why can't you get a job here?"

"Tim, they need people there, ok? They're still rebuilding after hurricane Katrina. I can make in six months there what it would take me a year to make here."

"Six months!?" Tim couldn't hide the shock.

"Well, maybe not that long. But well, it may even be longer! Hell Tim, I don't know."

"Well where are you going to live?"

"There's a trailer set up on site. I'll be living there."

"You can't live in a trailer, Billy." Tim frowned. His brother was not going to live in some trailer.

"Shut up Tim."

Tim looked at his brother and glared at him.

"Look, I'll send money every week Timmy. You'll have everything you need."

Tim drained his beer, and scowled. Everything, he thought? He set the empty bottle down on the coffee table. It made a loud noise that he hadn't intended.

"Timmy, have I ever let you down before? Have I?" Billy asked him.

"But what if somebody finds out? That I'm here by myself."

"Tim, you keep your nose clean and stay outta trouble and everything will be just fine. If we pay the bills on time, you go to school every day, hell, nobody'll care, 'cause they won't even notice. The only time they'll start to care is if we owe somebody money or if you get into trouble. So you stay out of trouble and I'll take care of the rest. Can you do that?"

"I guess." Did he even have a choice?

"Well you're gonna have to. And you're gonna have to keep this house up too. Start taking some responsibility."

"When are you leaving?" Tim felt his throat close up.

"This Saturday, maybe Sunday. I start on Monday, so..."

Tim shook his head. Billy was running out on him. He got up and got another beer out of the fridge.

"I can't turn this down, Tim. The money is too good. I'll be making twice what I've been making here."

Tim didn't bother to respond to him.

Billy finished his beer and set the empty bottle on the coffee table. "Well, I've got some errands to run. Oh, and Tim, we'll talk about Tyra later. I'm gonna talk to Coach Taylor. Ask him to look in on you once in a while. And I'll come home to visit, all right? Come on little 'bro. It ain't that bad."

"Yeah. All right," answered Tim sullenly. He didn't move from the couch. Billy walked out the door. After he was gone, Tim threw an empty beer bottle across the room where it shattered against the brick fireplace. He clenched his teeth, before raising the bottle to his lips and tipping it back again.

--

Eric sighed as he shut the front door. Tami slowly approached him from the brightly lit hallway.

"What's goin' on babe? Everything all right?" she asked him with concern. "Was that Billy Riggins that was just here?"

Eric was still staring at the shut door. "Yeah, it was. And it's nothing. You know. Nothing for you to worry about. He smiled tightly. "You've got much bigger things to worry about, like being a healthy momma."

"Well that's not so much to worry about," she said, sliding into his embrace.

"No, not if you listen to me, for one." He teased her.

"Listen to you? Like hell. I think I know what's going on. I've done this before, you know." She grinned.

"So we still planning on telling Julie at dinner tonight?" asked Eric.

"Well, now's as good a time as any, don't you think?"

"Yeah, I reckon. She'll be excited. What girl doesn't want a little brother or sister?" Eric rested his forehead on Tami's.

"Well regardless of what she wants, this baby is coming. I just don't know how she is going to react these days. Our girl's growing up, babe." She looked up into his face.

"Yeah, that she is." He smiled sadly at his wife. He scratched his head. He wasn't in the habits of keeping secrets from his wife, and he wasn't about to start now. He extracted himself from her arms to stand before her. Took a deep breath.

"Billy Riggins was just here to tell me that he took a job in Louisiana. He starts next Monday. He'll be gone for a few months. He asked me to keep an eye on Tim."

"Keep an eye on… what does that mean? Does that mean he's thinking of leaving Tim in that house all by himself?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah, that's exactly what that means."

"Eric. Don't be absurd. That boy can't be left alone! He's just a kid."

"Tami, it's not for us to decide how Tim and Billy Riggins run their lives. Come on. We can just be there to help out when it's time. This is better than the alternative."

"How do you know?"

"Tami, these kids' parents are lowlife deadbeats, all right? Now I know you think you know what's best, but the Riggins' boys? Well they are in such a unique situation that none of the normal rules apply here, honey. I know it stinks. But it's not for me or you or anyone to tell Billy Riggins what to do."

"Honey, what on earth can he be thinking? You know as well as I do that boy is not ready for this kind of responsibility. This has disaster written all over it."

"Tami, just listen to me now. The best we can do is just do what he asked. Keep an eye on him. Hell. You got Matt Saracen taking care of Lorraine." What's the difference?"

"What's the difference? The difference honey, is that Matt Saracen is able to handle the responsibility. I think he's proven that. It might not be right, might not be ideal, but it's working. I don't like the world these kids are living in, Eric! And now, we've got Tyra's mom is in the hospital, Eric. She's nearly dead. I have every right, hell, I'm obligated to think about this stuff."

"Honey you think I haven't already considered every little thing you're thinking right now? Hell. I care about these kids too. And this one is one of mine." He said mine like a protective parent.

"I don't like the sound of this. Besides, how are you going to keep an eye on him from Austin, honey?"

"Damn it Tami, it's not like I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Didn't you just tell me how you needed to go apartment hunting so you'd have a place to live during the week?"

"I just don't know if I can go along with you on this one."

"Tami, honey. Let's try it my way, OK? If things start to go south, then we'll talk about tryin' it your way, deal?" Tami bit her lip, but she nodded her head in agreement.

"Hey Mom, Dad!" yelled Julie.

"Oh hey babe. How was dance practice?"

"Oh, it was great. We started a new routine tonight. We're dancing to that new song by Black Eyed Peas."

"Oh good, you'll have to play it for me later. Hon, we're having spaghetti. Why don't you go get cleaned up, and we'll eat when you're ready."

"OK. I'm going to jump in the shower." She approached her mom and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"OK sweets."

Twenty minutes later, the three of them were sitting around the kitchen table, Eric was amassing a large pile of spaghetti and meatballs on his plate. Tami took about half as much, and looked over at Julie's meager portion she'd chosen for herself.

"What's the matter sweetie, aren't you hungry?" asked Tami.

"No, I am. I'm just trying to eat slowly. It aids your digestion," she explained. "Will you please pass the garlic bread?" she asked her father.

"Oh," said Tami, raising her eyebrows. "Is there something wrong with your digestive system honey?"

"Oh, no. I just, you know. Being proactive, I suppose." She changed the subject.

"So I finally caught up with Tyra today. She seems really good. I think she and Tim Riggins might be getting back together, although she won't admit it." added Julie.

Tami and Eric's eyes met over the table. "What makes you say that honey?" prodded Tami.

"Well, she mentioned she's been staying over at his house. Oh, but they're just friends. He's helping her out."

Tami shot her husband a pointed I told-you-so glare before shifting her attention back to her daughter.

"Well honey, there's a few things your father and I would like to discuss with you. Would you like the good news, or the bad news first?"

"Uh. I don't know. You decide."

Tami exchanged a glance with Eric. "OK, well, first the bad news then. Honey, Tyra's mom is in the hospital. Her ex-boyfriend showed up at the house a few days ago and apparently he beat the crap out of her earlier this morning. Basically left her for dead."

"What!? Is she going to be OK?"

"Well, so far she has been improving since she arrived at the hospital this morning. All the signs look good. So I'm glad you were able to get back in touch with Tyra, she's going to need a friend right now."

"Oh. I guess that is why she was staying over at Tim's." said Julie.

"Well that's ending. She can stay here if she can't stay at home. Her car is at the school, Eric. I've the keys, told her we'd drop it off at the hospital."

"OK. Let's do that when we're done with dinner here."

"Sounds good. OK, now Julie, for the good news." Tami reached over and shared a secret look with Eric. He reached out and took her hand across the table.

"What. You guys haven't decided to like, renew your vows or something? Or no wait, I've got it, we're leaving Dillon again but this time it's good news because we'll all be together," said Julie, somewhat brattishly.

"No honey, but those are some good guesses. Julie, your father and I, and you, well, we're going to have a baby."

Pause.

"A what?"

"I'm pregnant."

"How?!"

Eric and Tami stare at her and start to laugh. "Wait, well, I mean I know how, but I mean, I mean…" she looked from one parent to the other. They both looked so happy. Eric slowly took her other hand in his.

"Well that's great," she said weakly because that is what they wanted to hear.

"It's going to be great honey. You know we always wanted you to have a brother or sister, but it never worked out that way for us. We'd grown to accept that. We see this opportunity as a gift from God. He finally answered our prayers."

Julie looked stunned. "I'm really happy for you. Really." She wasn't very convincing. "A baby… wow."

Tami licked her lips and looked over at Eric, who shrugged as if to say, well did that go well or not?

--

Tyra waved at Mrs. Taylor and Coach Taylor as they drove away. "Thanks again Mrs. T." she shouted after them. She turned to get into her truck for the drive back home.

Her mom was improving. Mindy was going to spend the night at the hospital in the pull out bed in case Mom woke up. Tyra was dead tired. Exhausted. She needed to get home and get to bed. She still had to go to school in the morning.

She sighed as she started the long drive to Dillon. She was drained. She hurt all over. The hospital furniture was torturous. She hadn't eaten since lunch at school, and she felt she was starving.

She tried Tim again. There was still no answer. She turned her focus to the road. It was long, but luckily it was quick. There wasn't much between the hospital and Dillon. She stared at nothing as she drove by, and she wondered what it would be like to live in a place where there was no emptiness. Where nothing didn't exist. A place like Paris, New York or LA. She sighed. Anywhere but here.

An hour later, she pulled into Tim's driveway. His truck was there, but Billy's wasn't. She wondered briefly where he was. Probably at the Landing Strip, she thought.

She let herself into the house and entered the living room.

Tim had fallen asleep on the couch. No, wait, he wasn't asleep. He had passed out on the couch. The coffee table was littered with empty beer bottles. A bottle of Jack Daniels lay on the floor by his hand. It was nearly empty.

Tyra pursed her lips. She shook her head. He was so unbelievable. So this was why he hadn't been answering his phone. She'd been trying to reach him all afternoon and all evening long.

Tyra knelt down beside him. "Tim," she said gently, shaking his shoulder, "Tim!" this time more insistently. There was no reaction. He was out like the dead.

She stared down at him. What if this was the best it would get, she asked herself? She felt tears well up in her eyes. She sank to her knees beside him, and cried on his unconscious chest. Her hands turned into fists and she hit him in the arm. Still no response.

"Damn it Tim. Damn it, damn it, damn it," she cried.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, David Nivens and Brian Grazer and owned by NBC Universal. Added 6/25.**

**FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 10**

Tyra cried until she couldn't cry any more. And then she reminded herself that crying never got anybody anywhere, at least it had never worked for her before. So she took a deep breath and wiped her eyes and sat back on her haunches. She turned to rise just as the front door opened and moonlight poured in.

"Tyra," said Billy shortly.

"Hey," she said in what she hoped was a cheerful voice. Her throat was dry but the raw skin under her eyes felt much worse. She hoped Billy either wouldn't notice or that he wouldn't say anything if he did. She bravely met his gaze.

"What's up."

She took a deep, shuddering breath and said calmly, "You tell me. It's Thursday night. Is this normal for him?"

"What?" Billy looked to see Tim passed out on the couch.

"Shit." Swore Billy. "Damn it, Tim," he said, raking a hand through his hair and turning to stare at the wall. He met Tyra's gaze. "Aw shit." He ran his hand over his mouth and held his chin in his hands, arms crossed over his chest. He regarded his younger brother, guilt and worry all over his face.

"All right, help me. Help me get him up Tyra. Here, stand over there, and then just be ready." Billy got close to the couch and leaned towards Tim and wrapped his arms around him and pulled him up.

Billy drove his shoulder into Tim's stomach and with some effort, heaved Tim over his shoulder and stumbled a bit. "Get out of the way!" he yelled at Tyra. He began plodding towards Tim's bedroom. Tyra followed behind him.

"Dammit Billy. Put me down. I'm not a kid." Tim stirred.

Billy didn't answer him. "Get a glass of water Tyra, and there's some aspirin in the cupboard to the right of the sink. Grab a couple, and bring them in here will ya?"

"Billy," slurred Tim, "Billy…"

Billy carried Tim into the bedroom and shrugged him off his back and onto the bed. Billy stretched as Tim rolled onto the mattress and started laughing drunkenly.

His laughter just as quickly turned to tears. Tim lunged for his brother and clumsily pulled him down to his side.

Tyra appeared in the doorway. She was watching wide eyed with concern as Billy sat next to Tim.

But Tim spoke first. "Billy, Billy please," he urged his brother. Tyra handed Billy the aspirin and water.

"All right, look lil' bro. You're in bed, you're gonna go to sleep, and you're gonna feel like shit tomorrow. So take this now, and drink," he put the aspirin into Tim's hand and showed him the glass of water. Tim could barely sit up but he managed to swallow the pills down. "Now drink. I want you to drink."

Tim followed his brother's instructions until Billy pulled the glass away.

"OK Timmy." Said Billy, and turned to Tyra. Tim's breathing became heavy. Billy grabbed the trash can and put it by the bed next to Tim. They both stared at Tim in silence. Billy pulled a blanket over his brother's unconscious body.

Tyra looked at Billy, questioning.

Billy frowned. "Damn it. Maybe this isn't a good idea." He muttered to himself.

Tyra cocked her head and looked at Billy oddly.

"Tyra, you probably don't want to sleep in here tonight. Who knows what he's gonna do."

"Yeah, you know what, you're right. I think I'll go home."

"You OK?" asked Billy, noticing her puffy eyes and swollen cheeks.

"Yeah. I'm OK." She answered. "Well, thanks for…well thanks. I'll see ya around."

Billy looked like he was about to ask her a question, and then thought better of it. He pursed his lips instead to hold back his thoughts.

"See ya," he answered her, and shut the door behind her.

--

Tyra wasn't prepared for what she saw when she arrived at home. The front door was wide open, and when she stepped inside she was shocked at the condition the house was in. Bob and her mom had obviously had an all out brawl right there in the kitchen and also in the living room.

It looked like the house had been picked up, shaken up and set back down. Nothing was in its place. Her eyes widened when she saw the brown stains on the carpet. Blood. She made a face and looked away to the couch. The large picture mirror that hung behind it was shattered. It reflected the complete chaos, the little thin slivers of the lives inside that were slowly being sliced up and pulled apart.

Tyra sighed. She was so tired. She'd had enough for one day. She was not going to deal with picking up the pieces tonight. She closed the front door, locked it, and stumbled towards her bedroom.

Tyra tossed and turned all night. She didn't sleep very well, knowing she was in the house all alone and Bob the bastard could be lurking outside her window. She finally fell into an exhausted slumber early in the morning. She was startled awake when she heard a truck pulling into her driveway, crunching on the gravel. She opened her eyes, and pulled the curtain aside to see a black pickup pull up to the house in the morning light. Tim? What did he want?

She got out of bed and stumbled into the living room. The whole house shuddered as Tim pounded on the door. "I'm coming!" she hollered and she carefully made her way to the entry. She swung the door open and stepped aside to let Tim in.

And there he was. Tim stood on her porch in his devil may you care attitude. And he was helped out by the jeans, boots, sheep skinned lined jacket, sunglasses and the way his hair hung in thick locks across his face. "Hey," he greeted her gruffly, and stepped inside.

"What'd you want Tim?" She closed the door behind him and then stood before him, arms crossed over her chest.

"What the hell happened in here?"

Tim looked at her carefully and took off his sunglasses when she didn't respond. Rather, she just stood and stared at him. His eyes were clear. "I just wanted to make sure you were OK. You weren't answering your phone, and Billy told me you'd left last night, and he said you were kind of upset, so I just thought …"

Tyra stood and started picking up the room. She wasn't buying it. "Yeah, well think again Tim. Once again, I needed you yesterday and you were nowhere to be found." She accused him.

"Whatdya mean? I fell asleep on the couch waiting up for you."

She stood on the couch to take down the large mirror that was behind the couch. Tim moved to help her. She turned to look at him as they pulled the mirror off the wall.

"Don't bullshit me Tim. You were passed out on the couch when I got to your house. And I'd been trying to reach you all day long. So don't tell me you were waiting for me. That's a load of crap." She spat at him. Together, they set the shattered mirror on the floor.

"Tyra, slow up, alright?" he said slowly and deliberately.

Tyra turned her back on him and sat down on the couch. Tim crossed to stand in front of her. "Look Tim, it's been a rough eighteen hours OK? My mom's in the hospital after that asshole Bob beat her within an inch of her life, and now I've got to clean this place up before I go back to Odessa to spend the day with her in the ICU. Oh, and by the way, I have no idea, no friggin' clue how we are going to pay for all this. Oh and did I mention Bob the bastard is running loose out there…just like nothing happened!"

"She's in the hospital? What happened?"

"I told you, Bob the bastard happened. She's in ICU."

"Who the hell is Bob? And is she OK?"

"No Tim, she's not OK. She's in a coma and they don't know when she's going to come out of it."

"Look Tyra, I'm sorry. Billy told me something that got me kind of upset, and I…"

Tyra stopped in the middle of uprighting an end table.

"Look Tim, I've had it up to here with your excuses. All right? They're falling on deaf ears. In case you haven't noticed, I've got other things to worry about."

Tim sighed. "All right. I'm sorry you couldn't get a hold of me yesterday." Tim paused, and cleared his throat. "Can I give you a hand here?" he asked tiredly.

"Well, yeah. But aren't you going to school?" she asked him.

"Are you?" he looked over at her.

"No dumbass, I already told you I got to go to Odessa to spend the day with my mom. What if she wakes up and I'm not there?"

Tim grunted. "You want some company?" he asked her.

"I don't know. Depends on whether they're sober or not."

Tim sighed heavily. "Billy's moving to Louisiana."

Tyra stopped in the middle of picking up shards of broken glass from the couch. "What?" she asked sharply. "You're moving where?"

"No Tyra, I'm not. Billy is." He looked away.

Tyra frowned and looked at him, puzzled.

"What for?"

"I don't know. Guess he's had it with Dillon."

Tyra bit her lip and looked down at the floor.

"So what, he's just, up and leaving, and going where?" she asked him quietly.

"Some little place in Louisiana. He got a job there."

"Tim, that don't make any sense. I mean… Tim…" her voice trailed off, concerned.

"Yeah. He's going. Leaving." Tim cleared his throat roughly.

"That's right Tyra." His voice sounded strained when it whispered to her, "You're all I've got," he met her gaze; pleading, softly. She caught her breath.

Tyra's eyebrows raised. Was he serious? "What was that Tim? You know, I don't know if you remember, but we're not together anymore," she threw it into his face. And then she instantly felt worse and wished that she could take it back! Her heart was sinking, sinking into her chest.

Tim tossed his hair back and suddenly advanced towards her. She couldn't have gotten away if she'd wanted to. But she tried. She backee up as fast as she could, and stopped when her back hit the wall. And then she shuddered when his hard body crashed into hers. He pressed her into the wall, and met her steady gaze. Oh my god, she thought. She was quivering. His hands grasped her wrists and held them one on each side.

He took her lips and hungrily kissed her. And he didn't hold back. His hands left her wrists and cupped her chin, tilted her head, inched forward until his pelvis met hers. He kissed her with such passion, such abandon. And as he ravaged her mouth, his right hand crept up her waist to cup her heavy breast in his palm, his thumb waiting to touch. He stopped to look into her eyes. When she met his gaze she was lost in him.

"Tim, we can't do this," she was barely able to whisper.

"Why not Tyra, you tell me one good reason." He asked her, and pushed his hips to hers. He held her there, pinned. His lips captured hers. She couldn't pull away. Instead she arched her back and got a good grasp of his shoulders.

"Because it won't do us any good," she tossed out when he pulled away.

She made the mistake of looking into his eyes again. His hand ran down her leg to slowly bend and lift it up to circle his waist. His hand then ran all the way down, squeezing and rubbing her leg from her ankle to her ass. He smiled when her breath caught.

He lifted her other leg to circle his waist so he and the wall supported her weight. His lips left hers to nuzzle and nip the length of her neck.

"That's not a good enough reason, Tyra. And besides, it's not true. But I've got a better reason," he added.

He picked her up and carried her over to the couch. He sat down and settled her on his lap. His hands came to the back of her neck where he tangled his fingers into her hair.

"Because I want to bury myself in you, Tyra." He breathed up into her mouth.

His lips took hers again, and damn him, damn him. She couldn't get enough of him. His hands moved to hold her buttocks and pull her down on to him while he pushed up into her softness and rocked her hips over his. She couldn't help it. She shuddered. He moaned into her mouth and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I need you Tyra."

Dear Lord, I need you too, she thought, and kissed him with everything she had. The delicious friction he was creating was making her hotter with every second, and she threw aside her last bit of reserve. She let him know with just one kiss that she needed him as much as he needed her. She ran her hands through his hair and grabbed tightly to his shoulders and ground down upon him. "God Tyra," he breathed hard and pushed up.

The front door rattled, someone was knocking on it from the other side. "Tyra, honey, it's Tami Taylor. Tyra?"

"Damn it," groaned Tim.

The knocking continued. There was a brief pause. "Tyra, I'm comin' in."

They both froze, and Tim softly cursed again.

They leapt apart and jumped to their feet when the front door opened. Tami stepped inside, unaware of the interruption she had caused.

"Oh hey Tim." She closed the front door behind her. "That's awfully nice of you to come over here and help Tyra. I imagine she's told you all about it."

Tim cleared his throat, put his hands on his hips and met her gaze. "Yes ma'am. That's all we've been able to talk about."

"Well, Tyra, look. I wanted to stop by, see if there was anything you needed." She stopped, and stepped close to say only to Tyra in a lowered voice, "Now I know you've been staying over at Tim's, but honey, you shouldn't be staying there. Now, if you can't stay here, I want you to stay with us, OK? Now honey, I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to stay out here all by yourself. I've got the guest bedroom all made up. You just say the word."

Tyra didn't trust herself to speak, so she nodded her head instead.

Tami turned to Tim. "And Tim that goes for you too, honey. Your brother stopped by last night. Now you're welcome any time, and I mean, any time but I'm going to expect you to come on over for family dinner every Wednesday, and Sunday night all right, and if you don't show up I'm calling in the cavalry, is that clear? 6:00 Tim. And don't be late."

"Yes ma'am," responded Tim.

Tami turned to Tyra again. "So now I imagine you're going to spend the day at the hospital, is that right?" asked Tami.

Tyra nodded her head again. Somehow having Tami Taylor show up at her doorstep brought reality to the forefront. She started to feel her throat clench, and her chest tighten.

"And Tim, you're going to school?"

Tim looked over at Tyra. "Well, ma'am, I guess that's up to Tyra here. I offered to spend the day with her, seeing as how she's got to clean this place up, and go to the hospital and all. Thought she might appreciate a hand to help her out."

"Well Tim, that's awfully thoughtful of you, but don't you think you'd be better off in school?" asked Tami.

Tim looked over at Tyra again, seeking her opinion. "With all due respect ma'am, what Tyra's going through means a lot more to me than missing a day of class. It's her call." He nodded to Tyra.

Tyra looked over at Tami, but didn't say a word.

"All right, you two. I'll take care of it, let your teachers know."

"Thanks. I'll appreciate the company." She said somewhat weakly.

"All right, well. I've got an hour. What say we clean this place up. Where's your trash can at, honey?"

An hour later, the difference was complete. The three of them completely re set the house. Everything that was broken was thrown out, everything that was upside down was put aright.

"There," said Tami, "OK kids. You better get moving. Visiting hours start at eleven don't they? You'd best hurry."

She looked at them.

"Now Tyra, don't be speeding, you know that sheriff over in Odessa is a mean son of a gun. And Tyra," she called from the window, "turn on your damn phone."

Tyra bit her lip and raised her eyebrows as she followed Tim outside to the driveway. Tim swung open the passenger door for her with a smile, and then got behind the wheel of his truck with Tyra sitting next to him in the passenger seat.

They pulled out of the driveway, a cloud of dust following behind them when they turned off onto the dirt road. He turned to look at her.

"Timing is everything Tim, everything." She shook her head in mock regret.

"Yeah thanks I know. I get that a lot." He grinned ruefully.

--

Jason swore tightly under his breath. "I don't believe this!"

"What son, what is it?" asked his Mom. Jason was over visiting with his parents, and he'd gotten a text message from his voicemail service. He played the message and by the end of it he was so mad his face was beet red and sweat beads were pooling at his temples.

"This is such BULLSHIT!" he yelled angrily.

"JASON!! What has gotten IN TO YOU!?" shouted his Mom.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I just, I can't believe this! That was the Texas State High School League. They… those bastards… they fired me!"

"Slow down Jason. Take a deep breath. Now start over. What happened?"

Jason exhaled. His voice returned to normal. "I just can't believe it."

"Can't believe what, honey?" she asked him, and knelt beside him.

"They are asking for my resignation as assistant coach. Apparently the requirements of the position include a high school diploma. It's pretty funny how they didn't mention that fact leading up to the state tournament."

"What? Why? What do they care? And can they do that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, I guess they can. And they said that if I cooperate and resign within forty-eight hours of receiving this letter, they won't even consider bringing this up before the Texas Athletic Advisory Board as to whether or not this breach will have a further impact on the current state championship title held by the Panthers." His voice was rising and he was getting upset all over again.

"OK, slow down honey. What about Coach Taylor?"

"What about him? He's working for the college now, Mom."

Jason's mom sighed heavily, and she reached over to stroke his hair. "Well, maybe, in a roundabout way, this is not such a bad thing." His mother looked him in the eye.

"You miss school. You miss your friends. You know that you do." She pursed her lips, and continued earnestly, "It's not a bad idea. You could move back in here, graduate with your class. It's probably not too late. I think that's a wonderful idea. With some tutoring, well, who knows. It's worth looking into."

"Mom I tried that already. It didn't work out, remember?" he asked her tightly.

"No Jason. What I remember is that you had a hard time. And you gave up."

He turned his head sharply to glare at her.

"You have no right, mom, no idea. You can't imagine what it was like." He managed to get this out from behind his clenched teeth.

"I'm your mother, Jason Austin Street, so don't you think you can tell me what I have a right to do or not to do. I deserve more than that from my son. THAT is my right."

"Sorry Mom. I'm sorry. You're right. It's just. I don't want to go back there, Mom." He looked defeated. He looked up at her. His pain was there to see.

"Well, honey, you didn't really give it a chance the last time did you? If you can look at me and tell me with honesty in your heart that you tried and you just can't do it again, well, then, we'll see what we can do to find out about some alternative program or something. Because I know you'd love college son. That's a dream your father and I still have for you. But you know honey, you'll never be able to tackle that if you can't tackle this first."

Jason felt tears well up in his eyes. "All right mom. I'll give it another shot. I'll go back to Dillon. I'll go back to school."

"That's my boy. There he is." She said proudly, and kissed him on the head, held him in her arms.

Jason smiled, closed his eyes and hugged her back. And he reminded himself that the chair didn't mean he always won. Not around here. He wiped his eye and thanked god for his parents.

**--**

**A/N:** OK, so what do you think? Please send me a review and let me know!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 11**

Tim hummed lazily along to the radio. He half smiled. It was just him, Tyra, his truck and the open road stretched out before them. If only his head wasn't pounding from the bender he'd been on last night. He looked over at Tyra, who had suddenly fallen silent.

Tyra's whole body was drooping. She was slumped over and falling asleep. He carefully leaned over and released her shoulder belt.

"Here Tyra, come on, lie down. You might as well get comfortable." He pulled the armrest up on the bench seat to give her more room to stretch out. He nudged her gently.

Tyra jerked awake, and squinted at him for a few seconds before she moved to take him up on his offer. He covered her with his jacket once he'd shrugged it off. She snuggled right up to him and sighed before falling still and silent again. Shit, he wished he could sleep right now too.

His head hurt and the sun was too damn bright. His eyes were mere slits behind his dark sunglasses, but he could still feel the sun burning in. It felt like it was slicing into his brain and scorching it, sizzling it. Damn. He hated being hungover. He wished he'd thought to grab some water. He took another sip of coffee before putting it back to rest in the holder. He settled in for the drive to the hospital.

How far away was Odessa, anyway? It dawned on him that he hadn't been to the hospital in Odessa since the night of Jason's accident. He instantly felt sick to his stomach.

This was going to suck.

Tim sighed. His eyes went to Tyra's golden head in his lap. She was curled up on the bench seat and was using his upper leg as a pillow. He didn't mind. The corners of his lip barely curved as he stared down at her.

Tim shook his head and wished he could go back, rewind and redo yesterday. He'd do the whole thing over again.

Tim couldn't believe it, but apparently he had managed to fuck things up royally with her again. No question he'd redo that whole fiasco. He tried to remember the previous evening. Did he remember her being there? He remembered Billy, somehow carrying him. That was it.

But first, he would have handled the situation with Billy completely differently. He would have told Billy how he supported his decision and how he was willing to do his part. Which in all actuality, was not a small task, and he knew he could do it. He just didn't want to. It wasn't fair. He was seventeen years old. So he made another big mistake. He got drunk, and of course that just made things worse.

He was going to have to take care of everything. Tim frowned. It didn't seem so bad when he and Billy did it together. But now that he thought about it, he realized how alone he was going to be. And doing all the laundry? By himself, all the time?

Damn. That was totally going to suck.

"Billy. I'm going to need a maid," he would have joked.

Billy would have taken a deep breath, shook his head, but added it in to the budget.

He'd have been there for Tyra. Been there to welcome her with open arms when she'd come home battered from a day filled with blows coming at her from all sides. He closed his eyes and imagined them sitting on the couch together with their arms around each other, finally finding some comfort after a crappy day.

Tim looked down to check on Tyra, who was sound asleep. He jumped when his phone buzzed. Billy? What did he want? He reached across her to take the phone out of the console.

"Yeah?" whispered Tim. He didn't want to wake Tyra.

"Tim. Are you up, little bro'?"

"Yeah, I'm up. I'm halfway to Odessa."

"Odessa? What the hell you goin' to there for Tim? You hurt yourself?"

"Naw, I'm driving Tyra out there."

"What? Tyra? Get to school, you little shithead!"

"Billy, her mom's in the hospital."

"What?"

"Yeah, her mom's in the Odessa hospital. She's in a coma. I talked to Mrs. Taylor. It's cool."

"Well that explains a lot," said Billy.

"Yeah." Tim cleared his throat. "So look, was she… there?"

"What do you mean was she there?" Billy clearly wasn't following, but Tim wasn't going to elaborate with Tyra right there, asleep or not.

"Last night."

"Who? Tyra?"

"Yeah," he said, frustrated.

"Hell yeah she was there. She helped me put you to bed, little bro'." Billy chuckled, enjoying every bit of his brother's current predicament.

"Damn it Billy," he growled.

"Aw come on. Relax, Tim."

"Well I don't want her seeing me like that!"

"Well maybe you should have thought about that before you passed out!"

Tim swore. "I know." He changed the subject. "Look Billy, it's cool. You going, I mean."

Billy sighed on the other end of the line.

"If you think this is a good idea, then you're right."

"Well all right then. Glad you're on board." Billy said, with a hint of sarcasm.

"OK."

"Show me what you got. And don't ditch school again, all right? You got to work harder in school. Especially now. "

Tim exhaled softy and looked over at Tyra. He had to work harder at a lot of things, it seemed.

--

It looked like Tyra was waking up. She sat up slowly and stretched.

"Hey," he said.

"How you feelin'?" she asked him, squinting.

"Who me? Probably not as good as you."

"Well whose fault is that?"

"I'm not sayin' it's not my fault, all right? I'm just saying. Can we talk a little more quietly, please?" His head felt like it was about to split open.

She sighed and sat up. Next she pulled out some lip gloss and a bottled water from her purse. Tim's attention instantly turned to her.

"Is that water?"

"Uh yeah. You want some?"

He practically snatched it out of her hand. He chugged it down. Water was heaven. Tyra adjusted the sunvisor so she could use the mirror affixed to its back.

Tim put the bottle down and looked over to watch her as she pinched her cheeks and applied some gloss to her full lips. And then she went back into that miraculous portable arsenal that she carried with her, and now she was applying some mascara to her eyelashes.

"Tyra, put that away!" Was she crazy?

"Tim, stop it! I'm just freshening up."

"You wanna put your eye out?!"

"Tim, relax. I put my makeup on in the car all the time. Everyone does it." Tyra continued to carefully brush her lashes with the wand.

"You don't need it anyway."

"Well, I guess I think I do." She blinked a few times, and put the mascara away.

"Yeah, whatever. Say, you got any Ibuprofen in there? Or Aspirin?"

"Well yes, as a matter of fact, I do." Out came a small travel sized bottle. She popped out a few little round pills into her hand and handed them to him. "Here."

He swallowed them down with a swig of water. "Tyra, you got any money on you?"

"Here we go. Why? Don't you?"

"Yeah, but only like fifteen dollars."

"Well, sure sucks to be you."

"We gotta stop for gas. And we're gonna need to get something to eat. I didn't realize when I left this morning that I needed to bring tons of cash."

"Yeah, yeah." She sighed and reached into her wallet and gave him a plastic card. "Here. Use this."

"And besides, we gotta stop because I gotta take a piss."

Tyra rolled her eyes in mock disgust. "Fantastic. TMI, Tim, TMI."

--

They pulled into the parking lot, and for a brief moment he considered telling Tyra he wasn't going in; that he was going to stay out here and sleep it off in his truck. She could come and get him when she wanted to go. One look over at her though and that thought was gone. He reminded himself that he owed her for being such a bastard last night. And even though he was hungover, and he hated hospitals, he was going with her. His head throbbed. He hopped out of his side of the truck and crossed to the front to meet up with Tyra, who was staring off at the hospital with her hands in her pockets.

"Come on Tyra," he said, and he surprised himself by taking her hand in his and pulling her gently towards him. He grasped it more tightly after she squeezed his in return. They walked hand in hand to the hospital door. His hand left hers and ran down to gently rest at the small of her back while he opened the door with the other.

Tim followed her down the narrow hall. They went through a maze of corridors, up an elevator to the fourth floor, down another hallway and through the double doors to a small hospital ward. A nurses' island workstation was in the center of the room; with patients' rooms surrounding it. Tyra hugged herself and walked into a room. Mindy was sitting at her mom's bedside, holding her hand. Tim stopped in the doorway, reluctant to enter.

Mindy turned and looked as her sister and Tim as they approached the bed. "Hey. How's it going?"

Tim absorbed the room and immediately poured himself a huge glass of ice water before heading for the couch under the window. Once there, he turned on the small flat panel TV on the wall and started looking for football.

Tim stretched out on the couch and drank his water while Mindy and Tyra whispered together at their mom's bedside. A nurse came in and began speaking to the girls. Tim didn't miss the attitude and demeanor the nurse gave the girls, like they were white trash and didn't deserve her time. Bitch. He settled down when he found SportsCenter.

--

Tyra and Mindy fell silent and stared at their mom in the hospital bed. The nurse glanced briefly at her patient, and made some notes of her current stats and after turning the lights down, said to Mindy, "All right then, y'all. Keep it down in here. It's the ward's naptime. The other patients need their rest too." She stared pointedly at Tyra like she expected her to run chomping around the unit chewing gum and talking incessantly on her cell phone.

The nurse looked directly over at Tim. She crossed the room to get a blanket from the closet. She handed it to him. He took another long drink of water and mumbled a terse thank-you. She pulled the privacy curtain closed, shielding the room from the outside ward.

She left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving a few dim lights to shadow the room.

Mindy was quietly giving Tyra an update on their mother's condition, which had stabilized; however she had not yet regained consciousness. Tyra nodded her head at the appropriate times. Mindy explained what the doctor had told her last night about his prognosis for recovery if Amber continued to remain comatose. Tyra bit her lip and crossed her arms across her chest. She shifted her weight onto her other hip and tossed her head. Shrugged her shoulder.

"Look, don't worry about it," said her sister, watching her carefully.

"I'm not worried." She cleared her throat. She looked for Tim and found him dozing on a couch in front of a TV. She relaxed.

"It's fine. It'll be OK, alright?"

"OK, well I gotta go. I picked up some bartending shifts from Teresa."

She gave her younger sister a hug. "So you take care, girl. I'll see you at home, Lil Bit. I get off at nine, and then I've got to dance at eleven thirty. Everyone knows mom's in the hospital. I've got to get all the face time I can get," she mumbled on her way out the room.

Tyra looked at her mom lying prone in the bed. There was no change since the day before. Tyra regarded her sadly. Wake up, Mom. Don't run out on me, I need you! She sighed and turned to look at the couch where Tim had made himself comfortable.

She walked to stand beside him, smiling sadly. She guessed she was better off with him than without him. He didn't make it easy on her though. But then she remembered how he made her feel lately, which brought a real smile. And then just as quickly, another image reminded her how he made her feel when she had found him passed out in the living room the night before.

Tim chose that exact moment to wake up. He yawned and wasted no time before he reached up to pull her down to lie on top of him. Tyra sighed and didn't fight it. She let him. Instead she took a deep breath and got comfortable.

His hand came up to stroke her hair, massage her scalp. She sighed, and remembered what sleeping next to him felt like, how safe and how loved she felt when she woke up and saw that he was there. She laid her head on his chest and relaxed against him. She closed her eyes.

She fought against the urge to nuzzle his neck with her nose. Damn him for feeling so good and familiar, for smelling so right! He shifted his arm to curl around her back, and said in a deep voice, "I've been trying to get you to talk to me for days now. I don't know what else to do."

"Hmm?" She answered sleepily. She enjoyed the warm feelings from cuddling up with him. If he was trying to use his bodily charms to sway her, it was working.

"The attack. You were going to tell me about it."

"I was?" She felt her body tensing up.

"Well, you said you would. And now you can't get up until you do," he threatened, but he made no move to actually hold her to him.

Tyra exhaled and allowed her body to sink back into his. "Well, OK. But there's not much to tell." His arms tightened around her, reassuring and encouraging her.

"It was raining. This asshole followed me out to the parking lot at the Alamo Freeze. He attacked me and he was going to rape me in the cab." A tear rolled down her cheek. He brushed it aside with the pad of his thumb.

Tim just held on to her, stroked her hair and waited for her to continue. He rested his chin on the top of her head. "I don't know how I managed it, but I lit the cigarette lighter and burned him on the cheek with it. That's when I managed to push him off of me. That's when I had a chance. And I took it. I slammed his head, his hands, everything I could get at, I slammed it all in the door, over and over. I'm sure he was not a pretty sight the next day. And then he took off running."

"Nice. Was it hard enough that he would have needed medical treatment? Like you think maybe you broke his hands, his fingers?"

"Yeah, maybe." She sure as hell hoped so. "I burned him pretty good."

Tim was silent for a moment. She took a deep breath.

"Well did you know him? Ever seen him?" Tim's voice was quiet.

"No, I'd never seen him before in my life," she whispered. "And I haven't seen him since."

He apologized for making her go back there, and also for passing out on the couch the previous night. He asked her a few more questions, specifically about what the guy had looked like. What she'd said to the police. What they'd said to her. His questions got fewer and farther between.

"Ok, well you held up your end of the deal. I guess you can get up now." He yawned.

She responded by snuggling into his chest and pulling a blanket over them. She saw the corners of his lips curve.

Slowly they fell under the spell of sleep, the events of the past few days unraveling around them. Tyra's breathing grew slower while Tim's got thicker. They fell asleep wrapped up in each other on a narrow couch in a quiet hospital room.

--

Matt's jaw dropped. He froze as he looked over at Julie's mom. Or rather, Mrs. Taylor. He didn't believe this was happening. He'd gotten pulled into a school administrator's office to be talked to about his school performance. He was so embarrassed. He hoped that no one had noticed him coming in here.

This must be pretty bad, he thought. He'd been in the room for at least fifteen seconds and she still hadn't acknowledged him.

"Matt, go on and sit down." she said, but didn't meet his eyes.

"Yes ma'am." He answered. Mrs. Taylor was all business.

"Now I want to talk to you about your academic future." She met his gaze steadily.

"OK," he answered, and waited for her to continue.

Matt's eyes shifted nervously around the room when she didn't say anything. "Uh, Mrs. Taylor," he started awkwardly.

"Do you have an academic future, Mr. Saracen?" she demanded.

Matt blinked rapidly. "No ma'am. I mean, yes ma'am."

"Ok, well, I just wanted to check with you, talk with you, Matt. Because next year is going to be a big year for you. And this stuff you're doing now? This will seem like a cakewalk in comparison. Because in your junior year you will be the starting QB1. You'll have a new head coach with something to prove. You're going to be every player's team, every coach's team to beat every week. On top of that, it's going to be your hardest year academically. And did I mention that you get to prepare for and take a bunch of standardized tests? All this and you still get to be the man of the house to boot!"

"Mrs. Taylor, I'm just a sophomore."

"I know that Matt!" railed Mrs. Taylor, frustrated. "We're talking about next year, your junior year. We need your test results on the ACT and SAT to help us to understand your scholastic aptitude in terms of the national average. And that will give us some good direction, about what your options are, OK? It's not too late to register to take the PACT and PSAT in the spring as practice. Now I know tests are no fun, and it's not like we're sending you off to Siberia without a winter coat or something-"

"The PSCA– what?"

"Matt, honey. I've been reviewing your grades. Son, you could end up playing Division One college football and receiving one of the finest educations at a major state or private university, with a partial or full scholarship. That is a goal that is attainable for you, Matt."

She looked at him and continued, "That is the quality athlete my husband thinks you are, and that is the caliber of student I think you are."

"They offer these tests in the spring. I've registered you for them, I just need you to read these two waivers and then approve by checking the box," she gestured to him to sit at the desk and she pulled a laptop to the coffee table in front of him.

"There is a prep course headed up by Mrs. Randolph that meets three times a week, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from three to four. Room S 298. You can fit that into your schedule, can't you?"

"Well, I'll see, I mean, I have to talk it over with-"

"And one more thing, Matt, these tests aren't free." She added, and he sighed.

"Well give it here," he offered. She handed him a slip of paper.

"One hundred and sixty bucks!"

"You come back and pay me when you can, Matt."

"It's Ok. I got the money. I'll have to write you a check though," she nodded her head to tell him a check was OK. "I'll drop it off tomorrow." He sighed.

"Have you thought about what you want to study in college?"

"Uh Mrs. Taylor. I've never known anyone that's gone to college before. I mean, I don't even hardly know what you're talking about."

Tami sighed and rolled her lip. "Well, let's talk about that, then."

"Oh, OK Mrs. Taylor." He responded, and nodded his head while successfully avoiding her gaze.

"Would you like to go to college?"

"Uh…" He couldn't speak. He nodded his head instead.

Matt left the office, confused, wondering what the hell had just happened.

--

Tim yawned and exhaled. He felt heavy. He felt warm, loose, and peaceful. Where was he? He tried to shift and realized he was wedged into a tight spot and that he wasn't alone. He definitely wasn't alone.

His brain slowly dodged his attempts to contact it. Finally his eyes opened and he recognized a familiar girl draped lazily across him. His girl. He smiled, admired her. She stirred awake in his arms.

He pressed his lips gently to her forehead, "Shhh... it's OK, Tyra. Go back to sleep."

He was able to relax. She was his girl. Well almost.

--

A/N: OK - the last piece is a drabble:-0

Thanks to the fabulous Ikilledkennyandjr for the beta!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Fanfiction is based on characters and situations created by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, and David Nivens; owned by NBC Universal.

Thanks to Ikilledkennyandjr for the wonderful beta!! Love ya!!

Reviews are like candy...sweet and so appreciated!

**Friday Night Lights**

"**After the Ball is Over"**

**Chapter 12**

Matt wished it wasn't so cold. But, he reminded himself, Christmas was just around the corner. And he was looking forward to Christmas break. Maybe he'd get a chance to relax.

He didn't know what had gotten into everybody lately. It seemed like everyone's expectations of him just went up another notch.

First Jason Street had cornered him yesterday. Said he was coming back to school, told him he was personally interested in his workout routine. He insinuated that Matt was slacking off! And then Smash was giving him crap about what he was bench pressing. And those were his buddies!

Mrs. Taylor nearly scared the shit out of him earlier talking all about some tests and what next year was going to be like, and all this other school stuff. When he got home that night, he found his grandma first thing and told her all about it. She clucked sympathetically and made him a cup of hot tea, even though he told her repeatedly that he didn't want any. And then they sat down at the table, and he stared at the table in silence.

"Well, I think that should do it," she said, and with that, she stood up and went into the living room. Matt could hear her turning on the TV. He stared down at the kitchen table, and looked at a check he had written out. His gaze shifted to her empty chair and he sighed.

The phone rang, he answered it. It was Julie. He felt a smile creep over his face. Everything was suddenly looking a little bit better.

"Matt!"

"Hey Julie. What's up?"

"Oh my God. Are you busy? Can I come over?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he mumbled. "I was just having some tea with my grandma."

"I'm coming over."

A huge smile lit his face. Eight minutes later she was rapping on the side door. Julie blew in through the door looking frantic; her blondehair was flying everywhere, and her face was all eyes. Matt had never seen her like this. He forced himself to be calm.

"It's OK, Julie. Whatever it is."

Julie ran her fingers through her hair and plopped down into the chair Matt had just vacated. Matt looked up at the cupboard, got a teacup and poured her some hot tea.

"Here. Have some tea. This will help." He offered it to her, half expecting her to chuck it at him.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, sniffled.

"Thanks Matt. I needed just a little reality check. I'm OK now."

"What happened?"

"It's my parents. They just told me… you won't believe what they just told me! I mean, I can't believe it. How could anyone else believe it? It's like, insane!"

Matt's facial expression didn't waver. "Julie. It'll be OK. But tell me so we can, you know, talk about it."

Julie stopped and looked over at him, and she calmed down some. "My parents just told me that they're having a baby!"

"Really? Wow, that's pretty cool."

"What? It is not. Do you know what it's going to be like with a baby? I mean, a baby!"

Matt's face fell. "I mean, aren't you happy at all?"

Julie smiled sadly. "Yeah, and that's what sucks about all this. Everyone's happy. Everyone but me."

"Well you don't have to be happy about it, Julie. You just have to accept it."

"Yeah, I know." She sighed. "But that's what sucks. What if I don't want to?"

Matt shook his head.

"Well, that's up to you. But I bet you're a lot prettier when you're not pouting."

Julie shifted her glance at him. "I'm not pouting."

"You sure?"

"Well, OK, maybe I was just a little bit." She grinned over at Matt.

--

Tyra and Tim didn't talk much on the way back to Dillon. There really wasn't much to say.

"You comin' back out here tomorrow?" His voice sounded like gravel.

"Well, no. I made plans with Julie a while ago. I haven't seen her much lately. It'll be nice to just you know, hang out."

"So what? You're spending the whole Saturday with Julie Taylor?"

"Well, not the whole day but I guess I haven't really thought that far ahead, Tim."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You want to stop and get something to eat before we get back to Dillon?"

"No. I just want to get home."

"Alright."

That was about it. They drove in silence.

When he pulled into her driveway about a little more than an hour later, he looked over at her as she wearily inched away from him to climb out of the cab of his truck.

She paused, and turned to look over at him. "You wanna come in and have dinner? I'll cook."

The keys turned over in the ignition, and the noisy purr of the engine died.

"Why don't you go watch TV or something. Let me worry about dinner," offered Tim.

They got out of the truck and walked stiffly towards the front door. They paused while she unlocked it, and once inside, she locked it behind them.

Tim watched as she locked the door. He shrugged off his jacket and threw it across a living room chair. He stretched and yawned, scratched his chest.

Tyra ambled into the living room and unfolded on the couch. She laid there for a moment, closed her eyes.

Tim wandered into the kitchen and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Yeah. I'd like to order a pizza for delivery. Yeah. Tim Riggins. Yeah, thanks. Yeah, I can't wait for next season. Uh huh." He raked his hands through his hair. "No, uh, to…uh fifteen, uh, fifteen…" he made a face like he was trying really hard to remember something.

"1517 State Street." Tyra's voice called from the couch.

"1517 State." Quickly, like he just remembered it all by himself.

Tyra suddenly jumped off the couch and grabbed the phone out of his hand. He watched her, startled.

"Is this the Pizza Pit?" she asked.

Pause.

"Yeah, well I thought so." She snapped, "This is Tyra Collette, resident 1517 _State Street_. I just wanted to say, it's 1517 _State Street _not _Stateline Street_. You've delivered three pizzas of ours to 1517 Stateline in the last six months. And the bastard thinks it's funny. And I don't."

Tim stared and pried the phone from her hand and whispered, "Tyra, chill out." Then he said into the phone, "Yeah, to Collette's that's 1517 State Street. Alright. One extra large Italian deep dish Chicago style pizza with extra marinara sauce on the side. Alright. Thanks." He clicked the phone and put it into his pocket.

"Food's coming." He leaned back against the wall. "It's not exactly cooking but… is Italian still your favorite?"

"Maybe." She smiled begrudgingly over at him. She hitched her thumbs into her belt, and shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah, well just because you can remember my favorite pizza doesn't say a whole lot, Tim."

"I don't want you stayin' out here by yourself." He looked her in the eye, walked towards her. Her eyes followed him as he crossed the room to stand within an arm's length of her. "What does that say, Tyra?"

Tyra sent him a pleading look, which he completely ignored. Instead he held out his hand. Tyra didn't move, and for a second he was sure she was about to turn away. But, after what seemed like forever, she instead placed her hand in his and he pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, inhaled her familiar scent. Surely, his hands moved up, to cup her chin, tilt her head back just a bit before he brought his mouth down on hers. She clutched at his chest while he kissed her with every ounce of restrained passion that he could possibly withstand, and only then did he pull away, stopping to rest his forehead on hers. They were both fighting for breath.

Their eyes met, and they exchanged a look that said more than a thousand words ever could. Neither one released their hold.

She looked scared for a second, frightened. He cupped her head in his large hand.

"Baby--" He paused to kiss her, and after he pulled away he left her lips swollen, and her eyes begging. "I want you. I want to be with you. How I can I say it any clearer?"

"Tim, we know where this road leads." She gasped as his mouth left hers to latch onto the most sensitive part of her neck instead. She sank in to him.

"Come on Tyra," he urged her.

"Tim, please."

"Please what," he breathed into her. "Tell me." He tightened his arms around her. "Say it."

She dragged her mouth to his and with a sob, she kissed him, gently at first, and then more passionately. He returned her kiss, and then tore his mouth away and looked her in the eye.

"Tyra, there's a reason for this. All of this."

"What?" She shook her head, like she had no idea what he was talking about.

Tim looked into her eyes and then pulled her into his arms, his hand cradling her head. He closed his eyes in relief when her arms encircled his waist.

He pulled slightly away and opened his eyes, tipped her chin to raise her gaze to meet his again. To ask her, beg her, tell her, all of it. He couldn't speak, but it was OK because he was sure she could see it in his eyes. He didn't need words.

He was sure.

--

Eric shook his head and looked over at his wife. She was sound asleep on the couch watching Medium on the TV. He smiled and wondered how he had gotten so lucky. Tami stirred in her sleep, opened her eyes to catch him staring at her.

"Hey babe. What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. She leaned over and turned off the TV with the remote.

"Nothing's wrong."

"Well what are you staring at me for then?" She yawned and stretched, sat up.

"Tami, I…"

He heard the front door slam, and knew his other girl had just come home. She had run out earlier and hadn't been answering her phone. That needed to be addressed right now. Tami would have to wait. "Jules! Get your little butt in here."

Julie sauntered in and looked sheepishly at her parents.

"What did we talk about, young lady? Huh? With the cell phone? We agreed on certain privileges, and it's up to you to honor your responsibilities. You cannot choose when to answer your cell phone. You cannot ignore your mother or I when we are trying to get in touch with you. That is not an option. That's not in the playbook, Julie."

Julie looked away, but she looked appropriately guilty, rather than defiant. Eric took that as a good sign and knew to let up.

"Now come on over here and give your old dad a kiss." Julie obediently came over and he pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the top of the head. "Now why weren't you picking up your phone?"

"Dad," she whined softly.

He tipped her chin up with his thumb so she couldn't avoid his gaze.

"I just wanted to be alone. I'm fine. I just didn't want to talk to you, or to mom. I just wanted to be alone."

Eric glanced over at Tami, they shared a look.

"Well honey, that's OK. I respect that. I understand that, I do. But that's not OK if it makes us worry about you. We love you very much, and that cell phone isn't just for you to have so you can chat it up with Tyra or Matt or whoever. It's a communication device for emergencies. What if I needed to get a hold of you?"

"I know, Dad. I'm sorry. You're right. I should have picked up."

"OK. Well don't let it happen again," he warned.

Just then her cell phone rang. Julie turned, and looked at the screen. "It's Tyra!" she said happily. "Jeez, I've been so worried about her! She hasn't been returning my calls, I don't know what's going on with her mom… will you guys please excuse me for a minute?"

Eric scratched his head, wondered if his daughter even saw the irony in this situation.

He bit his lip, and threw his hands up at Tami as if to say, 'I give up.'

Tami shrugged back at him. "Teenagers," she answered. "We should be glad she came home."

Eric pulled Tami into his arms. "Do you think boys are this much trouble?" he asked, and rubbed her stomach.

She smiled at him and kissed him softly on the lips. "Maybe this time we'll get to find out."

They both grinned, and he kissed her more deeply, rubbed her back gently with his strong hands and thanked God for his wife.

--

Lyla pulled the covers up to her chin and wondered what everyone else was doing at that moment. She knew one thing, though: they were probably having more fun than she was. She looked over at the clock. It was barely 9:30 on a Friday night. And she was at home alone, curled up in bed, wondering what other people were doing. For two seconds she allowed herself to wonder what Jason was up to. He was probably watching that science fiction TV show he'd always tried to get her to watch with him. She shook her head, and wished now that maybe she would have tried a little harder when they were together.

Maybe if she'd tried harder, she wouldn't be alone right now. Maybe if she'd tried harder, they'd still be together because they would have had more in common to keep them together when their whole lives had gotten ripped apart. It just seemed like she didn't even know him anymore. Whatever common ground they'd had was washed away. She couldn't even talk to him anymore.

Like yesterday, he'd come back to school, and her first reaction was happiness. She was so glad for him. Jason liked school, and she knew he missed his friends, and the routine of it. But when she'd seen him she was surprised that he was so angry. She'd stopped by his locker, just to let him know, that she was there and would do anything to help him with whatever. Even though they weren't together, even though she didn't want to be with him, she still cared for him, and she knew that coming back to school wasn't easy for him. She wanted him to know that she was there for him. So she'd stopped by, and asked him how things were going.

"Well Lyla, apparently not all the teachers got the memo about me coming back to school, because some of them acted like it was a real pain in the ass to have to move the furniture around so I could be in the room. And getting through the hallway between periods is a real treat. Some freshman asked if they could hitch a ride, offered to pay me $10. And then there's the teachers that knew I was coming back, and they made a huge deal about it, but then none of them can look me in the God-damned eye. So it's perfect Lyla. Just perfect. I'm really looking forward to lunch. Going through the lunch line's going to be fun. Do you think my chair will fit through the register?"

"Well, Jason, you know this isn't going to be easy, but…"

"You know what Lyla, why don't you save your sympathy for someone that wants it. Or better yet, why don't you just save it, period."

Lyla didn't deserve that. So what was she supposed to do, just let him treat her like crap, when all she wanted to do was be a friend? He'd been so mean, so angry, and he never used to talk to her like that. She bit her lip and felt hot tears gathering behind her lids. She held them back and told herself she'd already cried too much over Jason.

Her phone rang, and she quickly answered it. It was Waverly. "Hi Waverly, what's up?"

She and Waverly had made plans earlier that week to get together tomorrow and watch a movie. She was looking forward to it. "Uh huh. I figured we could go pick up Casino Royale tomorrow and then watch it tomorrow night? You could stay over if you want? Great! OK, I'll see you then."

Lyla liked Waverly. She was hoping they could be better friends. She could use a few friends right now. Especially when her best friend in the whole world, her very best friend, hated her guts. She probably deserved it, too.

But even still, Lyla couldn't say she completely regretted the whole Riggins thing. Being with Tim had been the only thing that had made her feel real. It was the only bright spot in a sea of heavy blackness. She'd be lying if she said that she wished it had never happened. But then, why did she feel so guilty?

She could still see Tyra's face when she'd asked her why she hated her so much, and Tyra had answered, "Because you slept with my boyfriend." And this from someone who was as tough as nails, who probably would never admit to caring that much about somebody else… at least that, was her reputation. Tyra Collette was as tough as they came. Wasn't she? But it was more than that. Lyla could have seen the hurt on Tyra's face as plain as day. If looks could kill, she'd be dead.

Not to mention Jason, and how he'd been hurt. She'd rather not think about it. Tyra, she could understand. But Jason? Well, she guessed she understood a little. After all, she'd felt like strangling him and Suzie both when she'd come up behind them in front of his house, kissing in the cab of her truck. And she'd done more than just kiss Tim Riggins. Way more.

It was almost like she was two people. There was the Lyla that was trying so hard, who was always trying so hard to make sure everything was just so, that everything was all perfectly in order, so that everything would be OK. She made sure she was cute and perky each time she stepped into that dismal hospital room. She'd been the one to get the cheerleaders and the rally girls together (first time ever!) to make a get-well-soon sign for Jason's room. She'd gotten up every Saturday at six AM to shower, curl her hair, press a new dress, put on her face, paint her nails and bake a homemade treat to take to Jason in the hospital. And she did it for him, because she knew he loved it when she wore a dress, and he raved about her baking. She'd been the one spending every free hour she had in the hospital with him day after day, night after night. Being perfect.

And then there was this other Lyla, this Lyla that panted after, and fell into bed with, Tim Riggins every chance she got. She'd been the one that cheated on her crippled, hospitalized boyfriend with his best friend, and she'd done it not once, not twice… she'd lost track. And she'd known better, but she'd gone and done it anyway. And that was why she hated herself afterwards. She could still hear her mother saying as she jogged out the door, "I'm so glad you're doing something for yourself, honey." And then she'd run right over to Tim's house and fucked him blind before she went back home. She hated herself, and she hated him for it too. She hated him because he was her only bright spot. She didn't need to be perfect, she could just be that other Lyla around him. She curled her lip at the thought of it, though, and shook her head, still hating herself. Being with Tim Riggins, the lowlife alcoholic slacker, had been her bright spot. Had she hit rock bottom, or what?

She didn't bother wondering what Tim was up to. She didn't care. Lyla rolled over and turned off the light. Fuck Friday night.


End file.
